Learning about a Winter Spirit
by BambixRonno
Summary: Jack has become distant lately and no one knows why. After a comment that Bunny took too far, Jack storms off and Manny decides that the guardians should see Jack's past. But why doesn't Jack want them to see his memories? Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I've been reading some people's versions of Jack's past (which, by the way, are all AWESOME!) and it inspired me to write my own. I've noticed no one has done one with Merida, Rapunzel and Hiccup in it, so I decided to include them for a change.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled or How to Train Your Dragon**

Merida sighed irritably and continued drumming her fingers against the table, watching as Hiccup examined a knife and Rapunzel began to gather the things they needed. There was a noticeable lack of a certain winter spirit that Merida had come to see as her annoying younger brother. As much as the summer spirit hated the cold, she knew it meant that Jack was here. Since it was a strange just-over lukewarm temperature with the three other seasonal spirits in the room, it was obvious that, once again, the Guardian of Fun was not where he needed to be on time.

"I give up!" Merida eventually cried, slamming her hands down onto the table as she rose to her feet. "He obviously isn't coming for a while, so why can't we just start now?" Hiccup looked at her, still polishing the knife, forest green eyes meeting sea blue ones. He had no idea where Jack was, nor did he really care, so long as he arrived eventually. Sure, Jack made him worry at times, but the spirit of autumn was convinced that, wherever he was, Jack could take care of himself.

"Merida, calm down. Jack's always late, you're just going to have to accept that." He said calmly, making Rapunzel look up from her work to watch Merida's reaction. Surprisingly, the red-head remained stressed and annoyed. Hiccup could usually calm her down pretty quickly, thus making him the only person who could wake her up if she slept in. "He'll come eventually. You know that. And you also know that the other guardian's won't let us start lunch until Jack gets here."

Merida huffed and sat back down, crossing her arms. "Well, he'd better get here quick, before I go and find him myself and drag him here." Rapunzel chuckled, knowing Merida's threat was half empty. Merida probably would hunt Jack down and force him over there, but probably wouldn't drag him since she was worried that her body temperature would burn him in her annoyance. It had happened before, resulting in Jack with a burn or two on his arm while he covered it in frost and snow to heal it.

It was then a cold gust of wind swept through the workshop as Jack flew in from a window and landed in front of them, grinning. "Hey guys, what did I miss?"

Merida swung around and glared at him. "Jack! You're late! Again!" She yelled, advancing towards him while Jack backed away, his hands held up in defence, yet his grin remained. "So I'm a few minutes late for lunch, so kill me. England needed some extra snow, the kids have been pleading for days to get a day off school. And they hardly ever get snowed in so I thought, why not?"

Merida huffed and turned around, about to storm off down the hallway to get the others when Hiccup carefully guided her to her chair instead. Rapunzel giggled and raced out of the room, taking up the job Merida was about to attend to. Knowing the hot-headed summer spirit, she would probably come back with Bunny as a cooked dish if she left in a mood.

Jack laughed and sat down in his seat, looking at Hiccup with a smile. "So, Hic, how have things been for you?" Hiccup shrugged. "The usual. Although Toothless has been pretty restless lately. It looks like he wants to be in places where winter is, he's constantly trying to fly over there."

"Aww, if you wanted to visit me, you only had to show up." Jack smirked, finally leaning his staff against the table. Hiccup only rolled his eyes, yet smiled. "You wish, Jack." He said, letting out a small chuckle. Jack smiled and turned to Merida. "Hey! Hot-head!What, did someone make it rain and put out a fire you made today? Because you have a face like thunder."

Merida's head snapped towards him, her blue eyes glaring fiery daggers at him. Although it wouldn't bother most people if Jack called them 'hot-head', it angered Merida for some reason. He would usually use the nickname for when he was winding her up, and as a result she automatically became irritated when he said it. "What did you say, Frost?" She yelled, jumping up and practically flying across the table in what looked to be an attempt to strangle the winter spirit, who simply laughed and leapt to the side. Hiccup quickly dived in to calm the summer spirit while Jack laughed.

It was fortunate for everyone that Rapunzel chose that very moment to return with the other guardians, for otherwise, Jack would have probably ended up a pile of ashes on the floor.

Jack began to stop laughing and he fell onto his chair, attempting to get his breath back. Merida just glared at him before sitting down next to Hiccup as Rapunzel took her place next to Jack. Bunny sat next to Merida, diagonal to Jack, North placed himself beside Jack, Tooth sat next to Rapunzel and Sandy next to Hiccup as yetis began to run around and serve them. Casual conversation turned into an argument between Jack and Merida, to which no one was surprised about, as Hiccup and Rapunzel attempted to break up the fight.

"Summer is too better than winter!" Merida yelled. "Oh yeah? Well what exactly can kids do in the summer? In winter they can use snow to have fun! What can they do in summer, just watch ants burn?" Jack fired. Rapunzel sighed, wondering how things had even gotten to this, while Hiccup sniggered, reminded of North and Bunny's continual argument over Easter and Christmas.

"Yeah, well summer's warmer! Plenty of people prefer warmth to coldness. And crops can grow in the summer, crops that keep people alive!" Merida retorted. Jack snorted. "Yeah, but then people start complaining about the heat, and look for ways to cool themselves off."

"One of those forms of cooling down is swimming, Frost!" Merida yelled triumphantly. "And swimming is fun!" Rapunzel noticed Jack tense at the word 'swimming' but assumed that it was just Merida getting on his nerves.

Out of nowhere Bunny came into the conversation. "She has a point, Frostbite. People can survive better in summer and still have fun there." Jack tensed, sending glares in the rabbit's direction. "Shut it, kangaroo! Stay out of our argument!" He yelled. Bunny snickered. "And what's gotten you so riled up, Jack? Ashamed to be beaten in an argument by not only a girl, but a spirit who has less believers?" Jack clenched his teeth, and Hiccup shifted uncomfortably. "Bunny..." Rapunzel said, but the rabbit interrupted her. "Of course, it isn't hard to beat you in an argument, you're not very clever or strong."

Even Merida shifted uncomfortably, seeing that he was taking this a bit too far. "Bunny, he isn't-" Jack cut her off. "Shut up! You're just siding with her because she brings warmth, and it's warm when you have your stupid Easter egg hunts!" He yelled, fists clenched. Bunny smirked, ignoring the glares he was receiving from Merida that told him to shut up before he became the next thing the yeti's decided to serve. "Well, at least she brings warmth, which more people are beginning to cherish, since more people are beginning to view winter as cold and harsh." Before anyone could stop him, Bunny crossed the line. "And you are the reason people hate winter so much! No wonder only Jamie and his friends believe in you!"

Rapunzel gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. Hiccup's jaw dropped and the other guardians just stared. Jack stood up, grabbed his staff and bolted out of the room, keeping his head down, in a matter of five seconds. Merida shot up, practically knocking her chair to the ground and a _slap _rang through the air as her hand came into contact with Bunny's face, scorching a bit of his fur. Hastily Hiccup removed her bow and arrows from Merida's reach, but the summer spirit didn't even send a glance towards her weapon.

"You're _sick._" Merida hissed as she stormed out of the room after Jack, with Hiccup scrambling after her. Rapunzel shot a small glare at Bunny before racing after her friends.

"Congratulations, Bunny!" Merida spat as she stormed into the room a few minutes later, with Hiccup and Rapunzel trailing after her, heads down. "You chased him away! He's flown off. It will take ages to find him now, if we even find him at all." Bunny's ears flattened. He was beginning to regret what he said now. When he had said all of that to Jack earlier, he had been angry because of a small prank the winter spirit had played and wanted to get him back. He hadn't meant to drive him away.

Merida resisted punching the Guardian of Hope and instead stormed off to her bedroom to settle for punching the wall. Sure, she and Jack got into arguments all the time but she would never, _ever _bring that up against him. She would never push it that far. And who did Bunny think he was, getting into their argument like that anyway?

Merida rammed her fist into the wall for the millionth time, leaving a small scorched mark there as her temper began to get worse. Secretly she was worried for Jack. Most likely he needed someone to be around him, yet didn't realise it, and so had hidden himself somewhere in the world. Jack was, unfortunately, very good at hiding, especially when he didn't want to be found. The thought of him out there, alone and upset, only made her angrier as she made another dent in the wall.

Hiccup eventually put a stop to it by wrapping his arms around her, pinning her hands to her side. Merida let out a few deep breaths, her body shaking in anger, before collapsing on the bed as Hiccup released her and trying to avoid burning down her whole room. Rapunzel sat next to her awkwardly and just listened to the girl's rant.

"How DARE he say that to Jack?" Merida yelled, her eyes ablaze. "He's supposed to be Jack's friend! How could he say that?" Hiccup sighed, mentally cursing Bunny. Now Merida wouldn't calm down until Jack returned. The moon only knew when that would be. "Well, you do say your fair share of mean things when you fight with Jack." He said. "Yes, but I wouldn't ever go as far as that!" Merida yelled, looking as if she would like to punch something again, which made Rapunzel grab her wrists. Hiccup sighed, he couldn't deny that Merida had a point.

A knock on the door came and Merida turned her back to it with a huff. Rapunzel got to her feet and opened the door slightly, then sighed with relief when she saw who it was. "Merida, it's only Tooth."

Merida turned to face the door again, and Rapunzel opened the door fully, letting Tooth flutter in. "Merida, Rapunzel, Hiccup, you need to come with us. We think Man in the Moon wants to show us something." Merida scowled but got up reluctantly, Rapunzel and Hiccup following her example. "I don't think Jack will come even if we send out the Northern Lights, so we might as well just check it out without him." Tooth suggested, which only made Merida even more angry at the thought of doing things behind Jack's back. No matter what, he would always respond to the Northern Lights, and would become serious the minute he saw them until he knew for sure that nothing was wrong. Why he was so willing to protect the other guardians was beyond Merida.

The four of them arrived at the Globe Room, where the others were waiting. Almost immediately after entering the room they heard a voice, one they were not familiar with.

_Guardians, you are struggling to understand Jack. The only way you can truly understand what he has been through is to see it yourselves. I am going to take you into Jack's memories, both mortal and immortal._

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Was that... Man in the Moon?" She whispered. North nodded, immediately making the blond excited for what she was going to see. A beam of moonlight fell on a G on the floor, and the guardian's began to advance towards it, when someone flung the doors open and a chilly wind filled the room. "Stop!" Everyone turned in surprise to see Jack, panting heavily, as if he had raced to get there. "Don't you dare!" Tooth shook her head. "Jack, this might be the only way we can find out more about you." "No!" Jack yelled, agonised. North sighed, annoyed, before continuing forward into the moonbeam, everyone trailing after him. Desperate, Jack bolted forward and stumbled, falling into the light just as everything around them turned white.

_Guardians, welcome to Jack's memories_

**I promise I will try and make the next chapter longer, but here just seemed like such the perfect place to end!**


	2. Chapter 2

**You know, most people would be asleep by now where I live, so why am I wide awake writing fanfictions? How am I not tired?**

**I'm gonna try to not spend too long on the mortal memories because honestly, I don't have a lot of ideas for it**

**Here's the key for the chapters (does anyone even read these?)**

_Memories/Manny talking_

The guardians, normal, whatever you want to call it

**Jack's thoughts**

**Now, on with the disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled or How to Train Your Dragon. And I never will**

Jack slowly staggered to his feet, clutching his head slightly, then glared at the other guardians. "Why would you do this?" He yelled, not bothering to take in his surroundings. They were going to watch his memories, and he didn't want them to. How the moon hated him. "Why would you agree to watch my memories like this? They're – they're private!"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, not trusting themselves to speak. Jack groaned, frustrated. "He'd better not show anything too personal." He muttered, glaring at the moon that was somehow still above them. The already white room suddenly flashed brightly, making everyone automatically shield their eyes. When they could see again, they were surrounded by trees, and yells could be heard in the distance. Jack's eyes widened.

_Three boys, who looked about 10, ran around the forest as if searching for something. They were covered in mud and dead fish, and they probably stank, too._

"_Where did that brat go?" One growled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He was carrying a large stick in the other, and held it as if he intended to whack someone on the head with it._

"_No idea, Harry. We're just gonna have to leave." Another said, picking off bits of dead fish from his clothes. Harry scowled. "No, Brandon! I'm going to find him even if I have to search the entire forest!"_

_Brandon scoffed. "Stay out here all night then, I'm sure the wolves will be pleased. But I'm heading back, my mum will kill me if she sees me like this. Lets go, Sam."_

_The third boy, Sam, nodded, and followed Brandon out of the forest. Growling in frustration, Harry followed, muttering curses under his breath._

_As soon as the figures were out of view, a small giggle was heard and a young boy, who appeared to be about 6, jumped down from a low branch in a tree. He had chocolate brown hair and eyes, and his face was startlingly similar to Jack's._

Rapunzel let out a slight ''aww'' as she quickly got what no one else did. "Jack, you were so cute as a kid!"

Everyone's eyes widened. "Yeah Jack, what happened?" Merida suddenly said, snickering. Jack gave her a small smirk. "I became awesome."

_After a few minutes Jack began to make his way home from the forest, growing slightly more hesitant the closer he got. When a small house finally came into view, voices could be heard. Jack crept into the house as quietly as he could, trying to ignore the argument coming from the kitchen. A smash was heard and Jack ran silently up the stairs to his room, collapsing on his bed and shaking. **I don't like it when mummy and daddy fight.**_

Everyone jumped upon hearing the voice. They all gave Jack a questioning look, and he shrugged. "I guess we can hear my thoughts in my memories."

_Downstairs someone slammed the door, and after a few minutes, Jack heard his mother calling him. Silent, Jack got up and made his way down the stairs to see his mother smiling weakly as she handed him his supper._

"_So, Jack, how was your day?" She asked. Jack's eyes widened and he immediately launched into the tale of some prank he had pulled on three older boys, and how he had hidden in the tree, his mother laughing as he told her about how the boys were clueless as to where he went. "Jack, you're so good at hiding, you might as well be invisible! You should go with your father hunting sometime."_

_Jack beamed at this compliment when he heard the door open. Immediately he ran to meet his father, who picked him up and swung him in the air. "Hey there, Jack! What have you been up to, today?" Jack squealed and kicked out helplessly, weak with laughter as his father began to tickle him. He loved it when his father came home from work._

_Jack looked at the strange shepherds crook his father wielded. "Daddy, why do you have that?" He asked. His father chuckled. "I have it to help heard the sheep in the fields, and to fight off any wolves that come wanting to hurt them."_

"_Cool." Jack breathed. "I want one, too! Can I have one, daddy, please?" His father laughed. "One day, son, one day."_

_Jack's mother entered the room and hugged his father, who kissed her on the lips, setting off an 'eww' from Jack. His mother looked at him and smiled. "Come on Jack, time for bed."_

"_But mummy! I'm not tired!" Jack pouted, stifling a yawn. "Yes you are, now come on, up to bed." His mother said firmly, and picked him up, carrying him to bed._

"_Mummy, can I have a story?" Jack asked, curling up in his bed. His mother smiled. "Of course. I have a new one for you, tonight." Jack shifted, getting comfortable, before listening to the story._

"_Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, the world was a dark and scary place for everyone who lived there. Innocent people were attacked by bad men, and those people who attacked others were afraid of death. It was a time when everyone was afraid._

_Then, one day, the man in the moon chose some very special people to protect the others. These people looked after those who feared death and other people. The attacks began to stop and people were filled with wonder, hopes and dreams, as they began to collect happy memories. But the chosen people disappeared and never came back, and yet people say they are still watching out for us, somewhere, and that one day, someone else might be chosen by the man in the moon to protect the people all over the world."_

The guardian's eyes widened. "Uh, Jack? Did your mother just tell you the story of the Dark Ages?" Tooth asked, turning to Jack, who shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe. People back then had a habit of hearing old tales and twisting them slightly, adding their own little parts to the story."

_Jack had settled down and was ready to go to sleep but he still had a question. "Mummy? Who's the man in the moon?"_

_Jack's mother sighed. "Jack, look at the moon. Do you see those dark patches on it? What does it look like to you?" Jack squinted his eyes. "A face?" He guessed. "That's correct. People say that someone lives inside the moon to make it rise and fall every day, creating that face in the moon."_

_Jack closed his eyes, not seeming to care. "It's a boring tale." He muttered. "The man in the moon doesn't sound anywhere near as cool as Santa and the Easter Bunny."_

Everyone's jaws dropped and Jack paled slightly. Merida burst out laughing. "I think we've just found out why Manny doesn't like you, Jack!" Jack gritted his teeth. "Shut up." He muttered.

_Time seemed to speed up as Jack fell asleep, bringing morning forward in about ten seconds, before slowing down just as Jack began to wake up. As the boy's brown eyes opened, a huge smile broke across his face as he leapt out of bed, running into his parent's room._

"_Mummy! Daddy! Wake up, it's my birthday!" Jack yelled, shaking his parents roughly. Both groaned and got up reluctantly, yet smiled upon seeing how excited their son was._

"_Come on, Jack, we have a special present for you, today." Jack squealed in excitement and bolted off downstairs, not even giving his parents time to sit up. The boy sat impatiently in the main room as his parents came down the stairs, his mother walking into the kitchen to retrieve his present. Jack gasped as he saw his mother return holding a shepherds crook and hand it to him._

"_Wow." He breathed. "It's so cool! Thanks so much, Mummy!" His mother smiled. "We got you two presents this year." She said then turned to her husband, who presented a bow and arrow. Jack's mouth fell open as he carefully reached out a hand to gently stroke the wood. "You're the best parents ever!" He suddenly yelled, then flung his small arms around them. "I love you!" He turned to his father. "Can you teach me how to use it now, Daddy? Please?" He pleaded._

Merida chuckled, amused at Jack's enthusiasm. It reminded her of when she got her first bow, and was eager to learn how to use it. She couldn't help but wonder how good he was with a bow. Maybe she could lend him hers sometime, if he promised to take care of it. Just to see how good he was.

_His father smiled. "Of course. Come on, Jack, let's go now." Jack squealed again, and flung his arms around his father's neck. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He yelled, then grabbed his bow before racing out of the door, his father following._

_Jack was led to a small spot in the forest as he was taught how to use the bow, from holding it to firing arrows. And he was a very quick learner. By the end of the lesson he could shoot an arrow decently well, even if his aim wasn't so good. Jack eagerly followed his father to the fields, something he would sometimes do when he was bored._

_It was only when his father had left for a few moments that Jack noticed it, a furry figure strolling around the trees, eyes locked on the sheep. Jack's heartbeat quickened as he looked around for his father, dismayed to see he was nowhere in sight. Jack sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He wanted to drive the wolf away from the flock, but he didn't want to risk hurting the sheep._

_The wolf pounced forward, sending the flock into panic. Jack was shaking but took deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves, as he reached for his bow. Loading an arrow, he carefully took aim for a few paces ahead of the wolf before letting the arrow fly._

_It worked. The arrow buried itself in the wolf's side, and it howled in pain and spun in circles. Taking the chance, Jack loaded another arrow and took aim again, this time hitting the wolf in the chest. The beast dropped to the floor, not moving, as Jack's sweaty hands lowered the bow just as his father came running up to him._

"_Jack! Are you alright?" He asked, checking over his son frantically. "What happened?"_

_Jack took even deeper breaths in an attempt to calm his heart, before speaking. "There was a wolf, and it attacked the sheep, at first I was scared of hurting them trying to shoot at it but then it attacked them and I shot it with my arrows."_

_His father's eyes widened and suddenly captured Jack in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank goodness you're safe." He muttered. "You'll make a fine shepherd one day, Jack. Now, lets go home. I think your mother will want to hear about this."_

_Jack's smile was wide as he was carried home, reaching the bottom of the hill just as the memory faded to white._

"Wow, that was pretty impressive, Jack." Hiccup said, looking at his friend, who smiled. "Only just turned seven and you're already protecting sheep." Even Merida looked impressed. "Wow, I didn't know you could use a bow, Jack."

Jack smiled slightly before the bright light came again and they were thrown into another memory.

**Sorry it's so short! Like I said, I don't have a lot of ideas for when Jack was mortal, so most of these memories (and maybe some immortal memories, too) will probably be short. So sorry about that!**

**Anyways, please review! I feel more encouraged to write the next chapter and get it up when you review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long to update! But I had school and as we all know, school is evil.**

**NOTE: Before anyone points it out, yes, I know that you guys heard a smash in the last chapter and then a door slam. And then it says Jack loved it when his father came home. But all WILL BE EXPLAINED! So please be patient with me.**

**Also, while there are going to be some upsetting moments in this fanfic (if I can write them successfully) I am going to add some happy (I hate using that word!) moments too, even for the immortal memories. So I'll try to even it up.**

**Oh, and I forgot to mention this before: Ideas for memories are welcome!**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

The guardians all talked for a while, trying to guess what the next memory would be. It took a while before Rapunzel noticed that Jack was unusually quiet, but didn't have time to comment as the next memory started up.

_Jack was sprinting home as fast as his legs could carry him. He looked about eight in this memory, and was clutching his precious bow as if it might be snatched from him. He skidded to a stop upon hearing voices, then quickly scrambled up a tree, clinging to a branch and looking down at three boys who were about 12. **Are they still mad about this morning?**_

_The tallest one, whom the others recognised as Harry, growled in frustration before running off to the right, his heavy feet pounding against the ground noisily. Brandon and Sam quickly followed him, making enough noise to scare off all the animals. Silently, Jack slid down the tree, let out the breath he'd been holding and began to sprint again, soon reaching his home and exploding into the house. His father was standing nearby and smiled at the boy, picking him up and swinging him around, extracting a few chuckles from Jack. "Dad, can I go and see mum now? Please?" His father chuckled. "Of course, Jack, we've been waiting for you. Come and meet your new baby sister."_

The guardians all gasped and looked at Jack, who had a small smile on his face. "I remember this day." He muttered, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.

_Excited yet surprisingly quiet, Jack bounded up the stairs and crept into his mother's room. She was sat up in bed, a smile on her face and in her arms lay a small bundle. Jack approached his mother quietly as she gave Jack a glimpse of the bundle. He let out a quiet "aww" at the sight of her before looking at his mother. "What's her name?" The older woman smiled slightly. "She doesn't have one yet. We thought you should name her." Jack frowned for a moment as he thought, then his eyes lit up. "How about Pippa?"_

_His mother smiled even more. "Pippa it is then." She brought her only son in for a hug as he wrapped his arms around her, being careful of Pippa._

_She decided not to tell him that he could have had a baby brother._

Rapunzel and Tooth let out an "aww" while Hiccup turned to Jack. "Any particular reason you chose the name Pippa?" Jack winced slightly but nodded.

"Yeah. I had a friend called Pippa who died shortly before my sister was born. She got caught up in a forest fire and suffocated from the smoke. When they found her body, she was already dead."

_Time, once again, sped up, soon stopping in Jack and Pippa's bedroom. This time Jack looked about 14, while Pippa was only 6. There were a lot of yells coming from downstairs as well as the occasional smash or two. **Well, there goes mum's favourite china. **Jack thought (**A.N: Did they even have china back then? I don't know, my history knowledge is awful) **_

"_Jack, I'm scared. I don't like it when mummy and daddy fight." Pippa whispered, clinging to her brother. Jack looked at her, his face softening. What could he say? He couldn't exactly explain to a six year old that their parents always fought and his father would sometimes throw a piece of china or two at the wall, but never at his mother. Ever. So Jack just smiled kindly and hugged her closer. "It's okay. They'll stop soon, and we'll all be happy again."_

_The shouts from downstairs grew louder, and Pippa whimpered, clutching Jack tighter. **Think, Jack, think... I've got it!**_

"_Hey, Pippa, wanna go and have a snowball fight?" He suggested quickly, immediately making his sister's face light up. She nodded eagerly and raced downstairs, with Jack following._

"_Hold on there, missy, you aren't going outside without your hat and boots." He laughed, grabbing his sister's arm while gently putting a hat on her head._

"_But Jack!" Pippa whined, sticking out her bottom lip. "You never put your boots or hat on in the winter." Jack only grinned at her. "Years of practice, little sis. I can handle the cold weather. But I'll put them on this time, if it will make you put on yours."_

_Soon the two were just outside the small village, throwing snowballs and laughing. A few kids about Jack's age and some of Pippa's friends joined in, soon making it look like every child in the village had gathered to arrange a snowball fight, regardless of age or maturity level. A few girls tried flirting with Jack but he simply ignored them and continued to throw snowballs, his aim painfully good._

_Soon Jack noticed Harry, Sam and Brandon hanging at the edge, snorting in disgust and commenting about being immature. Jack merrily stuck his tongue out at them before continuing to pelt people with his snowballs. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pippa throw a snowball at one of the girls, who ducked and let the snowball whiz past her, hitting Harry full in the face. Jack stifled a laugh and quickly made two more snowballs. He stood behind Pippa and threw them at Sam and Brandon. Harry wiped the snow from his face and glared at the Overland siblings, making Jack put a hand on Pippa's shoulder protectively._

_Harry took a step forward and Jack leaned forward, muttering in Pippa's ear. "Hey Pippa, fancy a game of Tag? Harry, Sam and Brandon are It, and we have to run and hide from them to win." Pippa nodded eagerly and took off to the forest with Jack, who quickly picked her up and took her to a nearby tree. "Climb." He whispered, giving her a leg up. "Hide in the leaves, and I'll be right with you." Pippa obeyed, and Jack was thankful he had tricked Pippa into thinking this was a game. She would be too shaken up to run from the 18 year old boys if she was afraid._

_Soon Jack followed her, blending perfectly into a tree branch and clutching Pippa just as the three boys arrived. They muttered something to each other before leaving, making Jack let out the breath he'd been holding. He swiftly climbed down before helping Pippa, then took her hand and began to walk back home._

_He suddenly stopped, pulling Pippa back. Harry hadn't left, he was waiting for them. Jack gulped, trying to calm his heart and not let his fear show. **I could be in serious trouble here. But I need to keep Pippa safe.**_

"_You need to get your sister under control, Jack." Harry growled. Jack's grinned cheerfully at the boys. "What, can't handle a little snow to the face? Just because you're 18 it doesn't mean you can't have any fun." His eyes narrowed. "Besides, that was an accident. The snowball was aimed at her friend who ducked, and it accidentally caught you instead. I'm the one who would hit you willingly."_

_Harry glared at Jack harder. "So? She's the one who hit me. And she is the one who will pay." Pippa clutched Jack's leather cape harder, not understanding what was going on. Jack simply gritted his teeth. "You wouldn't dare-"_

_He was cut off as Sam and Brandon threw him to the side and held him to the ground, forcing him to watch as Harry leapt at Pippa._

_Jack's world turned red as he swiftly brought his knee up, hitting Sam in the stomach. Breaking his right arm free, he swung it at Brandon before leaping to his feet and flying towards Harry. The two rolled around in the dirt, punching and kicking each other, with Jack sometimes adding a few scratches or bites to his attacks. When Brandon and Sam tried to pin Jack down again, he simply knocked them to the side, making the two flee from the scene._

_Jack looked at Pippa, who was frozen in fear. "Go! Run to the house!" He yelled as he was pinned by the older boy, which he was really not surprised about. He was, in fact, surprised that he had even managed to have any effect on Harry at all. He quickly put the reason down to his fury._

_Jack turned to look at the older boy. "Ready to receive your punishment for all those years, Jackson Overland?" Harry sneered. Jack responded by spitting up into the older boy's face, who wiped it away in disgust and glared at him, bringing his fist up and preparing to swing it down-_

_And then he was up, staring in fear at a clump of trees. Jack sat up and he followed Harry's gaze. Then he froze as he saw familiar eyes glaring at them, a hunched silhouette in the shadows._

_Jack scrambled to his feet and slowly backed away, never once taking his eyes off of the wolf. Then he saw another, and another, and another. What looked like a quarter of a pack were in that one group of trees, maybe a bit less. Silent and wordless, he got in front of Pippa and bent down slightly, getting her to climb onto his shoulders. It was only when Harry panicked and bolted that Jack ran, following the older boy as he heard the heavy pound of paws after them. He was sure that the wolves just wanted to tire them out, and they quickly succeeded with that plan since Harry began to slow down, gasping for breath. Jack took the chance to hide Pippa in a tree, getting her to cling to a low branch before turning his attention back to the wolves._

_Practically every one of the furry creatures was attacking the 18 year old, and the boy's screams ripped through the air as the birds began to fly away. **That will make it difficult to hunt later.** Jack thought, watching the scene and carefully trying to put together a plan, before realising that he wouldn't be able to make one in time. **I can't just leave him to die. I have to do something.**_

_Desperately, Jack quickly made a snowball before chucking it at the wolf, thankful his aim was so good. He was even more thankful when the wolf stopped and turned his attention away from Harry. The other wolves followed this example, giving Harry just enough time to scramble away, back to the village._

_Now Jack was faced with another problem. The wolves had turned their attention towards Pippa instead of him, and he knew it would take more than a snowball to get their attention. Frantically scanning the snow-covered ground, he spotted a rock big enough to fit in his hand. Jack took aim and threw it at the wolf closest to the tree. Immediately the beast turned it's head towards him, and Jack silently wished he had his bow. Instead, he picked up a few more rocks and threw them at the few wolves that still had their sights on Pippa, until he had all of their attention. Jack began backing away, silently motioning to Pippa to run home, and was thankful to see she obeyed._

_Once again, Jack realised his plan was not thought out properly since he was now cornered. He quickly considered his options. _

_Wait for the villagers to arrive. If he stayed on the ground to wait for them, they would take too long_

_Run away. The wolves would catch up far to quickly._

_Fight back. He'd be ripped to shreds._

_Wait for death. He had to help protect his family. Especially Pippa._

_Climb a tree and hope for the best. It seemed to be his only option left._

_Jack allowed himself to back up against a tree before quickly turning and climbing up. He could feel his hands sweat and his heart drummed loudly against his chest, the vibrations of heavy bodies flinging themselves against the tree making his hands shake. Blood pounded through his ears as he shakily reached for another tree branch until he didn't dare to go any higher. Jack quickly broke off a branch he could use to defend himself in case he fell out of the tree. All he could do now was wait for help._

_After what seemed like hours, Jack finally heard the shouts and yells of people. He was never more grateful to hear voices._

"_I'm over here!" He yelled as he began to climb down, curious as to what was happening. He heard howls just as his head poked between some leaves on the lowest branches and saw arrows burying themselves into their fur, making blood spill from them almost at once. Jack saw his father among the group, silently pleading for his own arrows to have been brought. He was disappointed to see they were nowhere in sight, but climbed down anyway since the base of the tree was now clear of wolves, still clutching the branch he had gotten earlier._

_Jack mainly watched as wolf after wolf leapt and thudded to the ground with almost every arrow that was fired, occasionally swinging the branch if a wolf got too close to him. Eventually the remaining beasts ran off, giving up, and his father pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Jack was shaking as the adrenaline that had pumped through his veins began to fade away, clutching his father tightly. He was more worried about Pippa than himself, really, and only relaxed when he saw her explode through the bushes and clinging onto him as if he might disappear any moment. Jack hugged her back, relieved to see that she was safe._

_Jack was practically escorted home by his father, his hand clutching Pippa's small one. The minute he got home he was bombarded with questions that his parents shot at him, and it took them five minutes to calm down before Jack could say anything. He shakily told them what happened, about the huge snowball fight, Harry, Sam and Brandon chasing them, the group of wolves, how he got their attention away from Harry and Pippa and climbing up the tree to wait for help._

_When Jack finally finished, his mother flung her arms around him and hugged him so tight it was difficult to breath. His father soon joined the hug and was followed by Pippa, the three of them clutching the brown-haired teen desperately while sobbing tears of relief._

Everyone's eyes were wide, their jaws hanging open. Jack shifted uncomfortably, looking at the ground. It was Tooth who responded first, flinging her arms around Jack and stopping him from breathing once again in a hug. Eventually North managed to pry her off of him.

"Oh Jack, that was so brave!" Tooth sobbed, although Jack didn't understand why she was crying. "You could have been killed!" Sandy made a few images above his head and North nodded. "Sandy is right, you did better than any of us could have done."

Merida patted his shoulder. "Not half bad, Frost. You were extremely calm, considering the circumstances." Jack smirked slightly. "That's because males don't scream and shriek like girls do." He chuckled, and was rewarded with a punch in the shoulder.

Hiccup was the first to notice another memory start up, and got Merida's attention, who shushed everyone until they were all paying attention to the next memory.

_It was dark out, and almost all of the Overland family were inside the house. Jack's mother was pacing by the front door nervously, while Jack, now 15, played with his sister, or more accurately, tickled her, to keep her distracted. Pippa kept squealing excitedly, making her mother jump, until eventually Jack decided that it was too late for Pippa to be up. He carried her to bed, setting her down and telling her a story about a boy, a witch and a wizard. He was, in fact, in the middle of a fight scene between the witch and the wizard when he heard a knock. Pausing, Jack went downstairs, promising to continue it when he came back._

_Jack reached the bottom of the staircase when his mother opened the front door. He immediately panicked upon seeing a strange man outside. His father hadn't returned from the fields that day. He would sometimes work late, so they hadn't thought too much about it at first, but as time went on Jack began to get worried, but hid it for Pippa's sake. _

_Jack crept up behind his mother, still unable to see the man clearly with it being so dark. The rain wasn't helping, either._

"_We're very sorry." The man said. A chill ran down Jack's spine. "But I'm afraid your husband won't be returning. He was mauled to death by a pack of wolves. They attacked him in the field and chased him into the forest. By the time we found him, it was too late."_

_For a moment, there was complete silence, the only sound being the steady fall of the rain as it fell against the roof. Then his mother dropped to her knees and wailed loudly. Jack felt tears stinging his eyes but fought them back as he looked at the man. "Thank you, sir." He said quietly, before slowly closing the door. He turned to his mother and knelt beside her, hugging her as she clutched his shirt._

"_I never even got to say goodbye." She sobbed. Jack simply let her cry into his shoulder as he fought back his own tears. "I never even got to apologise for earlier. I never got to tell him I loved him. And now he's – he's gone, Jack! I can't bear it!" Jack buried his face in his mother's hair, unable to offer any words of comfort. The last thing his mother and father had done before he left for the fields was fight. The argument was awful – Jack had been so thankful that Pippa was fast asleep. "I can't bear this. I never told you, Jack, but Pippa was a twin at birth. Her brother, oh her sweet brother, he was so weak, he lived for five minutes before he died. I couldn't bear it, Jack, I was so relieved to see your sister survive. And – and now I've lost your father too!" She wailed. Jack took deep breaths, trying to process this information. **I could have had a brother.**_

"_Mum, come on, dad wouldn't want you to be sad now, would he?" Jack said, hoping to calm her down. He was never very good with comforting words. "Besides, you have Pippa to think about. She hates it when you get upset."_

_His mother sniffed and sat up. "You're right, Jack." She sighed, and ruffled his hair. "What would I do without you?" She began to rise to her feet. "I'll go tell Pippa now." She said, but Jack stopped her. "No, I'll tell her. She might take the news better with me." His mother nodded and began to walk up the stairs into her bedroom. Jack sighed and returned to his room, only to find Pippa fast asleep. It would break his heart, but it had to be done._

"_Pippa." He whispered, gently shaking her. "Pippa, you need to wake up. I - I have to tell you something important." Pippa yawned and sat up. "What is it, Jackie?" She asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Jack swallowed, suddenly unsure of how to break the news to her. "Pips, dad won't be coming home. Something went wrong when he was at work. He – he's with the angels, now." Pippa's eyes widened, and she burst into tears, flinging herself against her older brother and burying her face into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Jack gently stroked her hair, feeling miserable. He hated seeing Pippa cry. He hated it more than anything else in the world._

"_Pippa, I know it's sad, but look at it this way. Dad's going to be happy now. He's in a better place." Jack said, trying to ease her sobs. "But I don't want him in a better place!" Pippa howled, clutching Jack's shirt harder. "I want him here, with me!"_

_Jack took deep breaths, more for his own benefit than anyone else's. He couldn't cry – not when his family needed him. He needed to be strong, for their sake._

"_I know." He said soothingly, stroking her hair. "But dad won't be in pain any more. You don't want him in pain, do you?" Pippa shook her head, crying less violently. "Besides, he wouldn't want you to be sad, would he? He would want you to be happy. And he hasn't left us. He'll always be here with us, even if we can't see him."_

_Pippa sniffed, then looked up at him. "Tell me a story, Jack." She whispered. Jack took a deep breath, unsure if he would be able to survive telling her a story without breaking down. Still, how could he resist those eyes? Giving in, he began to tell the story his mother used to tell him, editing it._

"_Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a beautiful kingdom with a kind king and queen. They had two children, a prince and a princess. Everybody in the kingdom loved them. But one day, the king died, and one of the children had to marry someone so that the kingdom would not fall. They said that the prince was not responsible enough to become king, and so the crown was to be passed onto the princess. The queen picked out some princes for the princess to marry, but she didn't want to. She wanted to be free. The prince saw this, and knelt by the queen's knees. He begged her to release the princess from this cruel fate, he would do anything she asked. Moved by this, the queen chose a princess for the prince to marry, and she chose the princess that he hated the most in the world, to see if he really would do anything for his sister. The prince did not complain about who he was to marry, and the princess was freed from her cruel fate on the day of her brother's wedding. Shortly after, the prince had a baby with his wife, but it took her life. Then, shortly after, his mother died. The princess walked up to the prince and said 'Brother, let us rule this kingdom together. We shall raise the child to be the next king, but we will take over for now. So long as you are always with me, this kingdom will not fall.' The prince agreed and the two siblings took up the throne, not as husband and wife, but as brother and sister. The kingdom was at it's happiest during their rule. The end."_

_Jack smiled to see Pippa half asleep in bed, trying to stay awake. "You'll always be here, won't you Jack? Like how the prince was there for the princess." She whispered. Jack nodded. "I promise, Pippa." With this information, Pippa drifted off to sleep, with Jack stroking her hair. That story had been passed down his family for generations, each time it was different, used mainly to match whatever situation was going on, or just be a story to keep hope up. Before Pippa was born, the story would usually be about a young prince who was destined for great things._

_Jack bent over and gently kissed Pippa's forehead. "I promise I will always protect you, my Princess Pippa. And I will always be there for you. I promise." He whispered, before collapsing onto his bed and finally letting himself break down and cry._

The memory finished, and not a sound could be heard. Not one guardian dared to break the silence until Jack spoke. "My father's death happened a year after the wolf attack, when I hid in a tree. We suspected it was done by the same pack."

With that, Rapunzel was the first to break down, turning and hugging Jack almost to death, sobbing uncontrollably. Tooth looked like she was going to burst into tears too, but didn't go to hug Jack since Rapunzel still had a death grip on him. Even Merida had tears in her eyes, but she fought them back. Silently, Hiccup also joined the hug, and was followed by Tooth, Sandy, North, Merida and finally Bunny, creating one massive group hug. When they eventually pulled away Rapunzel had begun to stop crying, wiping her eyes in an attempt to dry them. They all stayed silent as the next memory started, no one wanting to talk about what they had just seen.

**I don't know about this one, too much going on in one chapter? A bit too sad at the end? Don't worry, if I can get an idea, the next chapter will be happier.**

**Anyways, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I had no idea what to write for some period of time, and I had a bad case of writer's block, then I remembered I needed to do this so I quickly wrote it down.**

**Still accepting ideas for memories! I seriously need some ideas for mortal memories, guys, I'm almost out.**

**Oh yeah, and before I forget, thank you so much to all of you who review! It means so much to me!**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, Tangled, Brave or How to Train your Dragon!**

"_Jack?" Pippa, who now looked about 7, skipped up to her brother, tugging at his cloak._

"_Yes, Pippa?" Jack said, looking down at his sister and smiled. He had just gotten back from working in the fields and he was exhausted, but how could he ignore those big brown eyes?_

"_Can you teach me how to read and write? Because I really wanna learn!" Jack sighed slightly. He didn't really know how to read, his mother had tried to teach him, but she didn't know much herself, plus he was far more interested in his father's work. "Pippa, you should really ask a professional teacher instead of me."_

"_Please, Jackie!" Pippa begged, looking at him with pleading eyes. "I don't want anyone else to teach me. It will be boring, and the teachers will be scary. You'll make it fun! Please, Jack!"_

_Jack melted slightly inside just looking at her. She so desperately wanted to learn, but there was no was she would be taught by anyone but him. **And how can I possibly say no to that sweet little face?**_

_Jack took a deep breath. "Okay, Pips, you win. I'll teach you how to read, but it will mean that I don't have as much time to spend with you, since I have to go to lessons."_

_Pippa's eyes widened and she squealed, leaping around her older brother like a lamb. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

Bunny smirked slightly. "You really have a soft spot for your sister, don't you?" He teased. Jack felt the heat beginning to rise to his face, and he pushed it back. "Shut up! You have a huge soft spot for Sophie!" Jack was rewarded with a slight blush from Bunny and a chuckle from Hiccup.

_Jack sat down at the desk and sighed, asking himself again why he was doing this. He was already tired at the end of a long day of work, he didn't really want to waste any more of his time with learning how to read. The teacher he had been assigned was extremely strict, and the only reason he agreed to teach Jack was because he had heard about Pippa wanting to learn. Everyone in the village had a soft spot for Pippa, except for Harry and his friends, but that was to be expected. Because of this, the lesson's weren't anywhere near as expensive, but it still cost Jack half of the money he earned. And pay for working on the fields wasn't fantastic._

_His mother, of course, had been delighted, along with many people in the village. She had always wanted him to learn how to read and write, and was slightly ashamed that she couldn't teach him everything he needed to know. As for the villagers, they all knew that Jack was clever, and were slightly disappointed that he wanted to be like his father, instead of learning basic literacy skills. So when the first person had found out, the news had spread like wildfire, until everyone knew. Poor Jack got a shock the next time he went to the village._

_As the teacher – Mr Herder, Jack remembered – walked into the room, he reminded himself that this was for Pippa, and he would do anything for her._

"_Jack, your mother has told me that you already have some skills in reading and writing." Mr Herder snapped, he did that a lot. "What do you know?"_

_Jack's eyes widened in slight panic. "Err, just the alphabet, Mr Herder. I can recognise some of the letters, but I can't write them."_

_The lesson then started, with Mr Herder writing down letters and Jack copying them, slowly beginning to remember what each one looked like and how they were written. Later, when he saw Pippa, Jack repeated everything he learnt in the lesson._

_It started off slow, and then began to speed up as Jack himself took a slight interest in it. It was like when he learnt how to use his bow, he picked it up quickly mainly because he wanted to learn. And as lessons went by, Jack found himself more and more eager to learn. Pippa, of course, didn't pick things up as quickly as him, so Jack took longer to teach her one thing, but he never complained._

_Jack saw how pleased Pippa was with herself the first time she was able to write a simple sentence. He had congratulated her, because she deserved it, and she beamed with pride. That was possibly Jack's favourite part about his lessons, when Pippa looked so pleased with herself after she got something right. One day, he had even seen her pick up a book and read it. Obviously, it was a very simple children's book, and there weren't many books around at all, but Jack was still proud of Pippa for reading it anyway._

_Of course, he was still tired at the end of the day, since he now had to work in the field, attend his lessons, teach Pippa, find some time to play with her and sleep. Sometimes he would also have to go to the village to buy something for his family when his mother couldn't go, and it was extremely difficult to get out of the crowd. But Jack took everything with a smile on his face, like he always did._

"How did you manage to cope with all of that stress?" Rapunzel asked, turning to Jack. "Honestly? I have no idea. I think it was because I enjoyed seeing Pippa happy so much that I felt it was all worth it. She kinda drained the stress out of me whenever she smiled. I didn't mind how hard I worked, so long as it made her happy."

Rapunzel was silent for a moment before nodding and turning back to the memory.

_Of course, not everyone was happy about Jack's education. Most of his friends would get annoyed, because Jack had less time to play, and were worried that he would turn into a boring know-it-all. Some of his friends avoided him, other teased him about it. Only a few actually stuck with him and learnt that Jack didn't change just because he knew how to read and write._

_Harry, Sam and Brandon in particular weren't happy about this change. At the age of 20, they considered themselves far too grown up and mature to bother about Jack and his pranks any more, and Jack knowing more about something than they knew annoyed them. In their eyes, when Jack grew up he might be considered better than them, which they would not allow to happen._

_Jack eventually learnt of this and used it to his advantage. He made a deal with the trio, he would teach them about spelling for a month then would give them a spelling test. If they got all of them right Jack wouldn't play pranks on them for a week. If they got one wrong, they would have to put up with a prank-filled week without complaining or getting him in trouble, and would have to leave his family alone for the rest of their life. Harry, eager for the chance to laugh in Jack's face, took up the challenge. He was sure that, being older and by far more intelligent, this challenge would be a piece of cake._

_It wasn't as easy as they thought. They found great difficulty in learning the alphabet and learning how to spell. Of course, Jack knew that he could always give them hard words just to annoy them by the end of the month, but what he had planned was, in his opinion, much more fun._

_The month passed and Jack gave each one of them a stick. He called out a word and, using the stick, they would write in the dirt. Brandon and Sam knew at once that they could kiss goodbye to their chance of being prank-free, but Harry was determined to get every one of them right. How he would laugh in Jack's face when the stupid teen found out that he was smarter than him._

_After about five minutes, they finished and Jack looked over at all three's work, crossing out Sam and Brandon's wrong answers. He stopped at Harry and scanned the words, a smirk plain on his face. He then began to walk off without crossing any off. Harry's eyes widened and he started laughing, pointing at his two friends, which earned him two glares and making other adults stop and stare. Some of them smirked, knowing that Jack probably had something planned._

"_I don't know why you're laughing, Harry. You have nothing to be proud of." Jack said, stopping and turning to face the man. Harry stopped and looked at him._

"_Huh? Why? I got them all right, you didn't cross any out!" He yelled, not noticing a few snickers in the small crowd that had gathered at how childish he was acting._

_Jack smirked and began to walk away again, with the simple reply, "Goat is spelt G – O – A – T, not G – O – T – E."_

_Harry paled slightly and finally noticed the crowd that had gathered around him, witnessing how immature he really was. He turned to yell at Jack but the boy had already disappeared from sight, most likely laughing his head off._

_He knew he wouldn't get a job for a long, long time after this._

_And it took him weeks to get out the goat's blood in his shirt after Jack had dumped a bucket of it on him._

Merida, although there didn't seem to be anything amusing about this, laughed her head off and slapped Jack on the back. "Nice one! I love how you showed up those boys in front of the entire village!" Jack smirked slightly. "Like I said, I became awesome."

_By the time Jack's lessons finished, he loved to read and was slightly disappointed that there weren't many books around. But he continued to teach Pippa, who was beginning to impress her friends with her skills._

"_You would make a good teacher, Jack!" His mother laughed, hugging him tightly. Jack smiled and hugged her back. He still wasn't fantastic at reading, but he knew more than anyone else in the village, which made him slightly proud._

_Of course, Harry was still angry about Jack humiliating him in front of the whole village, but couldn't do anything about it. Whatever pride he had left had to be spent on following through with his side of the bet, otherwise he would never get a job. He was often referred to as "the Goat Boy" after Jack's prank with the goat blood, and practically every teenager called him that. Sam and Brandon had started using that nickname, too, after being laughed at like that. They were just as childish, but didn't attract as much attention to themselves as Harry did. But they were still childish enough to stop being friends with him. Jack, naturally, had laughed, which made Harry splutter out that Jack didn't know how to skate, so he couldn't know everything._

"_I never said I knew everything!" Jack laughed, running away to avoid the risk of being strangled. Of course, the village knew that Jack was childish as well, but no one minded. He was childish in a way that made everyone just want to smile, and he made their days brighten, no matter how much of a bad mood they were in._

_Still, Jack did want to learn how to skate, and the comment had slightly hurt because his father had wanted to teach him how on his 16th birthday. Now that would never happen, and it only made Jack more determined to learn._

_So, when he turned 16, he received a pair of skates and had run straight to one of his friends, Will, begging the older boy to teach him. Will gladly obliged, taking him to a lake just outside Jack's house when the ice was thick enough and showed him what to do._

_Just like with the bow and reading, Jack picked it up quickly, and was skating around the lake with ease by the end of the day. He ran into the house as the sky got dark, red in the face and telling his mother all about his day. Pippa had giggled and tugged at Jack's cloak, begging him to teach her._

_Jack simply laughed and ruffled his sister's chocolate brown hair. "One day, Pips." He smiled. "Maybe you'll get a pair of skates for your birthday." Pippa squealed excitedly at the thought of being able to skate, and pouted slightly when Jack told her he had to go hunting, demanding that he played with her when she got back. Jack simply laughed and promised before grabbing his bow and disappearing into the forest._

_He returned a while later, having been successful with his hunt. He had caught two hares and three birds, something that was extremely rare at this time of the year. Then, as promised, Jack played with Pippa until his mother finished cooking supper, then sent her up to bed, leaving his mother downstairs to relax in a chair. He knew she wanted to be alone for a while, since it was close to the first anniversary of his father's death._

_Jack collapsed on his bed a little while later, exhausted. He looked over and saw that Pippa was fast asleep in the bed next to him, looking so cute that his heart melted. It was her that reminded Jack that all of this hard work was well worth seeing a smile on her face. He would give up his life in an instant if it meant she could live._

_Jack smiled tiredly before slipping off into dreamland._

**I know this chapter is a bit boring, but I was desperate! And it's kind of hard to write a long chapter when you have next to no ideas for it. Like I said, I apologise!**

**Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, ideas are very much welcome! Because right now, the only thing I have left for Jack's mortal memories is his death. I'm sorry to anyone who don't want to read it, but it has to be written. I mean, I can't just write Jackson Overland alive and well in one chapter and Jack Frost in the next, the guardians will have no idea what happened! So, I'm afraid it must be written. If you really don't wanna read it, then you another option is to wait until I upload another chapter and read that.**

**And one more thing before I go: I will be doing re-writes for some parts of the film. The two I am definitely going to do are Pitch's lair and Antarctica, since none of the guardians know what happened there. I'm considering doing Easter, when Jack returns from Pitch's lair, because neither Sandy nor the other seasonal spirits saw what happened. Another one I'm considering (although not as much as Easter) is when Jack arrives at the North Pole. Not all of it! Most likely the argument between Jack and Bunny. One reason might be because Manny wants them to see at that point how wrong Bunny was to say that, but the main reason is because I like writing Merida getting angry at the guardians XD so if you would like to see either Easter or Jack and Bunny's argument, please tell me!**

**So, yeah, enough of my rambling. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know it wasn't that long since I uploaded the next chapter, but I like to update as often as I can. Especially while I'm still free from the cruel grasp of writer's block.**

**NOTE: Credit for this chapter idea goes to changeofheart505! Thank you so much for your idea!**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of these films. And no, I never will**

"Okay, exactly how many hidden talents do you have that we don't know about?" Hiccup asked, turning to Jack, who shrugged. "Dunno. It depends, how many of my amazing talents do you know?"

Before Hiccup could answer, Rapunzel spoke up. "You really cared for your sister, didn't you? I don't think I've known anyone who's done as much as you have for one person just to see them smile!"

Jack chuckled. "I've done more than you think, Punzie." **You know, like drowning for her. **He mentally added. A huge part of him didn't want the others to see how he became Jack Frost. They would only fuss over him, which he couldn't stand, and wouldn't listen to him when he said it didn't really matter. He didn't expect them to understand that he was fine with the fact that he died. It had been to save Pippa, and he would do anything for her. In fact, he'd drown all over again to save her life.

Merida finally spoke up. "You know, Jack, I think we need to have a little archery contest when we get back." She said, finally saying what had been on her mind ever since she had seen Jack receive his bow. **(A.N: Credit goes to changeofheart505 for the idea! Thank you so much for letting me use it)**

Jack smiled at her, grateful that she had changed the subject. "You're forgetting I don't have a bow any more, Mer. But if I find one, I'll gladly take up your offer." Hiccup snickered at that. Merida and Jack were so competitive. Sure, Merida was a fantastic archer, but Jack had more practice and had a good aim, which explained why he was so good in snowball fights. That would be interesting to watch.

North suddenly shushed them and told them to pay attention, the next memory was starting.

_Jack slowly opened the door and quietly crept out of the house. It was dark out, and far too late to be out and about, he knew, but he didn't care. He had his bow with him, so he would be perfectly safe._

_Jack silently wandered around the forest, stopping every now and then to cautiously peer at his surroundings, keeping a look out for any danger. When he assured himself that there was none, he continued forward, eventually coming to a stop._

_Jack looked around again, taking note of some very familiar traps, resetting any that needed it and leaving the ones that didn't. His father had set these traps shortly after Jack learnt to hunt. Now it was Jack's responsibility to check them regularly, making sure they worked and taking any catches before others found and stole it, or before other wild animals came and ate it._

_It wasn't until Jack prepared to leave that he heard a small whimper. Turning around and slightly hoping the whimper was an animal caught in a trap that they could eat, he examined every trap there was, soon coming across one that had been covered in leaves. Trapped in it was a small wolf pup, looking so weak that it was obvious it had been the runt of it's litter. It looked at Jack and whined fearfully._

_Jack found his heart melting at the sight. At this point he had two options – he could shoot the pup in the head to put it out of it's misery and skin it, or he could let it go free and allow it to grow up with it's pack. Although it was wolves that had murdered his father, Jack couldn't help but pity this pup. He had always had a soft spot for baby animals. Hunting the adults for survival he could understand and didn't mind, but the young ones had barely begun to live, and wouldn't live as long as humans anyway. It just didn't seem fair to kill them until they were adults. As a result, Jack avoided aiming for them when hunting unless he was desperate. Even then, he wanted the death to be as quick and as painless as possible._

_Jack quickly made his decision and began working on setting the pup free, desperate to save it from the evil jaws of his trap, to rescue it from the cruel fate of death while doing his best to ignore the small nips and scratches that attacked his arm, knowing that the small wolf was only doing this because it was hurt, scared and trapped. That pup was too young to die. It wasn't it's time, yet._

_Eventually Jack managed to get the small beast free and it limped off immediately, whimpering. Jack didn't bother to go after it. If he was going to regret his decision at all, he would rather regret it later, when he was hungry and wishing he killed the poor thing. When it would be too late to change the past, but still possible to go and find the pup if the situation got desperate. He would have hated to kill the poor thing and use it's fur, only to find out later that he didn't need to kill the poor thing and regret it. Because then it would be too late to do anything._

_A rustle in the bushes stopped Jack's train of thought and he quickly turned to it, brown eyes darting wildly around the place as he focused on his surroundings, refusing to let whatever was around get behind him. He clutched his bow tightly, ready to fire in case whatever was around was a threat._

_Instead, he saw a small, furry tail poke out of the bushes, and the wolf pup limped out, dragging something, When Jack looked closer he could see the thing was a hare – already dead, but still fresh. Obviously Jack's kindness had not gone unnoticed. What surprised Jack is that the wolf pup decided to give him something in return. He never even knew animals could think like that. Sure, he knew they had thoughts and feelings, he just didn't expect to come across an animal that would actually return kindness. This is why he bent down slowly when he went to pick the hare up, so as not to frighten the wolf pup. So it knew he meant it no harm._

"You know, I've just realised something." Merida randomly announced. Everyone turned their heads towards her, waiting for her to explain. "If Jack still believed in Bunny at that age, and mistook him for an animal that could feed his family, what would happen?" Jack smirked slightly. "Most likely, my family would be fed for a month and there wouldn't be an Easter Bunny any more." Hiccup burst out laughing at Bunny's face, with North following behind. Neither could help it – the thought of Bunny on Jack's table as a meal was just too hilarious.

Jack simply shook his head and rolled his eyes, smiling. "It's a good job then that I never did see Bunny when he came around, because I did still believe at that age."

Hiccup and North stopped laughing and looked at him, curious as to why he still believed at the age of sixteen. Jack sighed. "I still believed because I didn't want to grow up, even though I had so many responsibilities. I didn't want to let go of whatever childish beliefs I had left, that would only mean growing up quicker." He explained.

_The wolf pup stayed calm and let Jack take the hare from it, before turning and limping away into the bushes and out of sight. Jack smiled slightly and returned home, knowing that nothing more could be done in the forest at this time of night. He silently opened the door to a storage cupboard his mother used for this time of year, and stuffed the hare inside before creeping back up to his room and falling asleep for however many hours he had left before he had to go to work._

_He soon awoke to the sun shining in his eyes. Jack groaned and turned over, mentally begging for a few more minutes of sleep. But he quickly gave in and reluctantly got up, grabbing his staff and walking downstairs. He considered if it was worth seeing if there was anything he could have for breakfast then decided it wasn't. Today was not going to be a fun day for him as it was, he didn't want to have any more hunting to do._

_Jack's trip to the fields was slow until he saw the sun's position. He immediately began to panic and started sprinting, reaching the sheep just as his boss came by. Jack put on an exhausted smile, trying not to look like he had just ran halfway across the world and back. Pay on the fields was poor enough as it was, he didn't want to have it decreased for tardiness. And he most certainly didn't want to lose his job. It was one of the few things that helped him keep his family alive._

_Jack's eyes kept closing and he had to keep forcing them open until he no longer felt tired. He would definitely sleep all night tonight. No questions involved. In fact, he would gladly fall under the Sandman's power. And send him silent thanks in his sleep._

_Eventually Jack's attention began to turn back to the sheep the more awake he felt. He did the regular jobs like counting to see how many there were, making sure none of them had infections, caring for any of the sick and keeping an eye on the little ones. Jack was sure that the lambs this year were going out of their way to make more trouble than any lamb ever before. He could only pray that they were too stupid to have picked up his liking for trouble._

_He had never felt more thankful than when his boss had let him go home that day. Surprisingly, most of the sheep had been quiet that day, with only a few troublesome lambs testing his patience as they tried to run away. Jack had only groaned and escorted them firmly back to the flock. After stopping the fifth lamb from escaping, no more sheep tried to leave the area, sensing how stressed Jack was. Still, even though no problems had appeared, the teen sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the God above him – whether he thought one existed or not didn't matter at that moment in time – as he headed for home, however temporarily. He would be out in the forest all day, and he would be shattered by the time he came home._

_After briefly stopping at his house to pick up his bow, Jack dashed into the woods, although slowed down rapidly the nearer he got, not wanting to frighten away any possible prey. He needed as much food as he could get today._

_Jack's first location was, for once, the pond. It didn't contain the beauty of the lake outside his house, of course, but it did sometimes have a good source of food. It all depended on what time of year and what time of day you arrived, as well as how quiet you were. During this time of year, it could be hard to get your hands on something, but Jack was still determined to try._

_He was in luck. For once, when he arrived there was a small group of ducks that bobbed about carelessly on the water. Jack took a deep breath and held up his bow, wishing that they wouldn't swim around so much. He had one chance, he couldn't afford to mess up. If he did, they would all fly off and he wouldn't catch anything there at all. Not to mention it might scare off any nearby food. One wrong shot, one arrow that wasn't timed properly, one twig that got in his way, and his whole plan could go up in flames. Still, Jack dared to edge a bit closer to the pond, silently wishing for one duck to swim a bit closer to the edge._

_His wish was granted. One duck came so close he actually thought it was going to start walking on land. But Jack didn't dare to give it time, just in case it swam too far out of reach again, and instead let his arrow fly._

_Jack thanked his lucky stars when the arrow hit it's target, immediately making the duck go stiff. The rest of the birds flew up in panic. Half shaking, Jack drew and loaded another arrow and pointed it to the sky, aiming slightly in front of another duck before letting go. To his surprise, the flying figure stopped moving and began to fall. Jack, however, didn't pay attention for too long and instead crawled over to where his first kill was before it decided to float into the middle of the pond. He quickly pulled it out of the water – yanking his arrow out of the body and putting it with the rest of his arrows – before running off to find the other duck. He soon came across it lying on a log and picked it up by the neck, once again retrieving the arrow, before heading home, trying to control his excitement. Two ducks. Two ducks that he had caught. He couldn't recall the last time his family ever had two ducks brought home at once, even when his father was alive. And his father was by far a better archer than he was._

_On the way home, after quickly shooting a nearby rabbit, Jack heard a soft whimper. Turning his head, Jack saw the young pup he had saved the night before, trembling behind a bush and whining pitifully. The poor thing looked starved to death, and Jack couldn't help but take pity on it. Jack looked at the three kills he planned to take home, and sighed. The ducks could keep his family going for a while, and he could always go hunting again later on. But he couldn't just leave the poor pup alone and hungry. Not today, of all days._

_Jack bent down slowly, to show that he meant no harm, and produced the rabbit he had caught. The pup paused, looking at him with curious eyes as it slowly edged closer towards him. "Come on." Jack said, keeping his voice soft. "Come here. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." He gently held out the rabbit. "Do you want some, boy?" The pup edged closer, his nose twitching at the smell of raw meat, but after a few more steps it stopped, head leaning forward and nose still twitching, but not daring to move. Jack could tell this was as close as the pup would get, and slowly lowered the rabbit to the ground, before standing up and slowly backing away, leaving the piece of meat lying on the ground. The more he backed away, the closer the pup came, until it snatched the rabbit up in it's tiny jaws and limped away rapidly, as if Jack would have attempted to try and snatch it away. He simply stood and watched until the small wolf was out of sight before picking up his bow and continuing his journey out of the forest._

_Dark was just falling when Jack arrived back at home, and he opened the door as quietly as he could. Yet he couldn't help but smile as Pippa ran up to him and hugged him tightly, only coming up to his waist. He gently pushed Pippa off before walking over to his mother and handed her one of the two ducks. He stuffed the other away in the storage cupboard before turning to entertain his younger sister while his mother cooked. He tried to ignore the silent grumbles of his stomach, and chuckled when he heard Pippa's._

_Eventually he heard his mother calling them in. He helped Pippa to her feet and guided her to a poorly made table, sitting her down next to him. His mother set down the duck he had brought in earlier, now cooked with a few plants around it. Not a single thing had been bought at a shop, Jack had noticed a few years back. Everything had been caught and picked by themselves._

_Jack had only smiled as Pippa hugged his arm and tugged at it slightly, knowing that she was hungry, but his smile threatened to fade as his mother sat down. There was an empty seat next to her, right in front of Jack. Right where his father should have been sitting. But he forced himself to keep smiling since Pippa was in the room. Had it been just him and his mother, he would have comforted her. Had he been alone, he would have probably broken down and started crying. But that wasn't the case, so he forced himself to remain happy._

_The smile he wore turned slightly genuine after his mother thanked the lord for their food – again, the issue of if the lord existed or not didn't matter right then – and Pippa began eating. He, himself, felt hungry, although he was also tired, but seeing his family together like this could always make him smile._

_Jack didn't really eat much of the duck, although he wanted to, since half of his mind was somewhere else – his father called it Jackie's Dream Land – and since Pippa seemed so excited to have get to eat this luxury. It had been ages since duck had been placed on the table, and no one could blame her for feeling excited. After all, it was usually only eaten at special occasions._

_Later, Jack's mother watched from her chair with a smile on her face as he and Pippa played together. It was small moments like that Jack really loved – when the whole family could just be together, relax and have fun. Something that was so rare, especially for them ever since their father died. It was especially on this day of year that he could really appreciate everything he had, and was thankful for it. A part of his mind drifted to that little wolf pup, and he felt slightly bad for it, spending tonight all alone in the cold. He was now thankful that he had given the poor thing the rabbit._

_Jack smiled as Pippa yawned and settled down in his arms, beginning to drift off to sleep. His mother made her way up the stairs and Jack followed, his precious sister dreaming in his arms. Jack chuckled as he placed her on the bed, gently muttering in her ear, "Happy Thanksgiving, Pippa."_

It had warmed all of the guardian's hearts to see Jack spend time with his family like that, and it made Merida think, trying to remember the last time she had spent such a happy Thanksgiving with her mortal family. Not for a few years, she and her mother always somehow managed to ruin it by arguing. Seeing Jack so close with his family made her feel slightly bad and regret arguing with her mother so much. Still, she couldn't help it if her family had been annoying. Shaking her head, Merida looked over at Jack, who had a faint smile on his face from the memory. Judging by the way Hiccup was also staring at him, the Viking was also remembering his mortal family. Merida only smiled and laughed quietly. They were each other's family, now.

**Again, a big thanks to changeofheart505 for giving me this idea! It was a totally awesome idea!**

**I'm thinking of ending the mortal memories now and moving onto the immortal memories. Which will probably mean that Jack's death will come up in the next chapter. Key word: Probably.**

**Nothing much I have to say here. So, I have only one request: Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, here's the next chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, by the way, you've all been awesome! You guys have no idea how grateful I am about all the reviews I have received from this story. Again, thank you!**

**I would like to point a little something out about Jack's chosen age here: My usual opinion is that Jack died when he was 18, but most people (in memory fanfics) usually say his physical age is about 14. So I just used the age in the middle, which is 16. That's why he's only 16, otherwise he would be 18, like my general opinion.**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I really wish I did, but I don't**

The guardians continued to talk for at least a minute, none of them noticing the way Jack was sat at the side staring into space, obviously lost in his thoughts. He was thinking about his family, wondering if they were alright after his death and how they got money. He hoped that they eventually moved on. He didn't like the thought of his mother and Pippa being sad for the rest of their lives. Especially Pippa. He also hoped that Pippa didn't blame herself for his death. No, he would hate for her to think that.

Rapunzel suddenly shushed them as the next memory started up, making everyone's attention turn to it. Jack's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"_Jack! Jack, wake up!"_

_Jack groaned and opened his eyes to see Pippa shaking him awake. The girl's excitement was on overdrive._

"_Jack, it's my birthday!" Pippa squealed, leaping up and running to the door. "Come on, Jack, hurry!"_

_Jack smiled slightly and got out of bed. Pippa could be so cute at times, especially on her birthday._

"No..." Jack muttered, a hand running through his hair. "No, it can't be this memory already." He looked at the moon with almost pleading eyes. **Please, Manny. Don't let them see this yet. **He silently begged. As usual, he got no reply.

"What's so bad about this memory, Jack?" Tooth asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. Jack gritted his teeth. "You'll see."

_Jack pulled his mother out of bed as Pippa raced down the stairs before following her, holding something behind his back. Pippa's smile was contagious, and she flung herself against Jack, seeing that he was hiding something. Jack chuckled slightly and produced the object. It was a small bear, clearly handmade and of poor quality, but Pippa gasped excitedly. "Happy birthday, Pippa."_

"_Oh Jack, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed. Jack smiled as his mother came down the stairs, yawning but with a smile on her face. She hugged her daughter close, mumbling a 'happy birthday' in Pippa's ear when a knock at the door caught Jack's attention._

_The teenager opened the door to reveal one of Pippa's friends, Emma, holding two objects in her small hands. "My mum and dad want me to give Pippa this." She said quietly as Jack let her in. Emma walked up to Pippa, who was hugging the bear Jack had made as if her life depended on it, and gave her the objects. "Happy birthday."_

_Pippa gasped excitedly. Jack only smiled. The objects were a pair of skates, similar to his own. Emma's parents must have made them. "I guess you'll be having an ice skating lesson today, Pips."_

_Pippa tugged on his hand. "Can you teach me now, Jack? Please!" She begged. Jack laughed. "Not now, Pippa. First you have to go and see your friends while I go to the village. I'll play with you later, okay?"_

_Pippa pouted slightly but nodded, running off with Emma. Jack laughed and turned to his mother. "Anything you want from the village?" He asked, picking up a handmade basket. His mother shook her head. "Just some bread please, Jack."_

_Jack nodded and headed towards the village. As usual, he was met with a crowd as he desperately attempted to get into the bakers. Some people ignored him completely while others attempted to follow him while asking questions. **Why does it always have to be this busy?**_

_Eventually Jack collapsed into the bakers, the warm smell of bread filling his nose and making his stomach rumble. Jack scrambled to his feet and walked up to the person at the counter, clutching the money he had earned from the fields._

_Jack walked out a few minutes later, with a roll of bread in the basket and his other hand now empty. It took him a while to shove his way through the crowd and get out of the village, but after that it didn't take long to reach his house. Placing the basket on the table, he grabbed his cloak and ran outside, shoeless as usual. He had seen Pippa with her friends just outside the village, surrounded by snow._

_Once there, Jack quickly formed a snowball and threw it in their direction, not actually hitting anyone. It worked. Everyone's attention turned to him, making Jack smirk and make another snowball, this time throwing it at one of Pippa's friends. The girl squealed delightedly and retaliated, only she accidentally hit Pippa with her snowball. Within five minutes Jack's friends had shown up and joined the snowball fight, which only made Jack much more competitive. Snowballs flew faster and covered everyone in snow, and a lot of people soon collapsed to the floor, weak with laughter._

_Eventually Jack and Pippa were called home, and the snowball fight came to an end as the others left, a lot of them muttering things like 'It's no fun without Jack'._

_Pippa ate quickly, eager for Jack to finish his food simply so that she could go ice skating quicker. When Jack finished, he ran to his room to grab his skates before walking out of the door, Pippa eagerly tugging one hand and his staff in the other._

"_Be careful." His mother warned. Jack looked at her and laughed. "We will." With that, Jack let himself be dragged to the edge of the lake, helping Pippa with her skates before putting his own on. He glanced at the ice doubtfully, unsure of how thick it was. But Pippa was already on the ice, and there was no way she would want to wait until next Christmas to learn how to skate. Taking a deep breath to convince himself that everything would be fine, he stepped onto the ice and glided over to Pippa, who was struggling._

_Jack held her hand as she skated so that she wouldn't fall, occasionally showing her what to do. After a few failed attempts, Pippa finally got it and began to shakily skate across the ice, with nowhere near the same grace that her brother had._

_Eventually Jack decided it was time to go in, since he was beginning to get too cold for comfort. He took his skates off and stood up to help Pippa when he heard a crack. Gasping slightly, he looked at the ice under Pippa's feet. It was cracking. **I knew I should have made sure the ice was thick enough.**_

Jack pulled his hood over his head. He didn't want to see this – not a second time. He didn't want to see the look on the guardian's faces when they saw what happened. He most certainly didn't want to see the look on Pippa's face again when he fell in.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Rapunzel. "I'm so sorry about your sister, Jack." Jack only gritted his teeth and looked away. Rapunzel took the hint and turned back to the memory.

"_It's okay, it's okay. Don't look down just, look at me." Jack said, eyeing the distance between him and his staff. He would not let this happen – he couldn't lose someone else he loved. It was her birthday, and he wouldn't let it be the day that she died._

"_Jack, I'm scared." Pippa whimpered, looking down at the thin ice she stood on. "I know, I know." Jack soothed, feeling like he was trying to calm a frightened animal. He took a step forward towards her, with the ice cracking under his feet. "But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in." Jack had a feeling he wasn't helping. How could he distract her from the danger long enough to get her off the ice? "Uh, we're gonna have a little fun instead!"_

Three of the four original guardians winced. They remembered how Jack had calmed Jamie down when they were fighting Pitch. He had used those exact words. This must have been where he got them from.

"_No we're not!" Pippa wailed. Jack began to panic slightly but forced himself to keep calm. "Would I trick you?" "Yes, you always play tricks!"_

_Jack bit his lip. **Nice going, Jack, you've just made her more afraid. This is what happens when you play tricks on everyone in the village.**_

_Jack laughed nervously. "Oh, alright well, well not – not – not this time." **Why did I stutter? **"I promise, I promise. You're gonna be – you're gonna be fine." **Stop repeating things, idiot! You'll make it worse! **"You have to believe in me." The whole time Jack never broke eye contact with Pippa, hoping that it would calm her slightly. It must have worked, because she let out a breath, looking straight at him. Letting him know that she trusted him._

_Jack, seeing this as a start, continued to try and distract his sister from the thin ice and freezing water below them. In a similar way to when he got her to run away from Harry._

"_You wanna play a game?" He asked, trying to make his voice sound light and playful. "We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play every day. It's as easy as, one." Jack took a step towards his staff, wincing as the ice cracked but quickly pretended to lose balance, making Pippa laugh. "Two." Another step, on thicker ice. Pippa was still distracted. Good. "Three." Jack stood next to his staff, gently taking it in his hand, his eyes never once leaving Pippa, as if she would suddenly disappear if he looked away. "Alright, now it's your turn. One." Pippa looked at the ice and slid one foot forward, a gasp escaping her lips as the ice cracked even more. "That's it, that's it." Jack soothed. "Two." Another step forward. Pippa gasped louder in panic, looking at him and then back at her feet. The ice wouldn't hold much longer. "Three." The curved end of Jack's staff hooked around Pippa's waist as he flung her to safety, sliding across the ice himself and dropping his staff in the process._

The guardians all let out the breath that they had been holding, although North wasn't so sure that everything would be alright. He could feel that something bad was going to happen – in his belly. Jack didn't join in with the guardians relief, since he knew what would happen anyway.

_Jack sat up, smiling slightly as he saw Pippa lift her head and smile at him. He didn't know how, but he had done it – he'd saved her. A small laugh escaped his mouth as he stood up, reaching out to her. But before Jack could move he let out a yell of surprise as the ice disappeared from under his feet, sending him falling backwards._

"_Jack!" Pippa cried as he fell into the lake. Jack's eyes widened in panic as he stared at the sky, his limbs thrashing around uselessly as he wished he knew how to swim._

_Yet somehow he knew that it wouldn't be enough even if he did know how to swim. The cold water was slowing his joints, locking his arms and legs in place during the desperate struggle to the surface that Jack knew he would never win._

_Unable to hold his breath any longer, Jack instinctively tried to breath in, only to have water rush through his mouth and into his lungs. It burnt his throat and nose as his body's demand for oxygen became more urgent. Oxygen that he couldn't get. Everything hurt, and Jack wanted it to end. He had to try to get to the surface, to see Pippa again, he knew that, but his limbs ignored the commands his brain was sending. He began to feel weak, his chest on fire as it screamed for air, but he couldn't fight for much longer. He could almost feel his insides beginning to freeze, his organs shutting down. He finally gave up, giving in to the darkness as his heart stopped beating._

_Jack had gotten his wish. It was Pippa's birthday, and he hadn't let it become her death day._

_It was his, instead._

You could have heard a pin drop. The guardians just stood there, unable to move as they tried to process the information they had just learnt. Tooth was the first to find her voice. "Oh Jack. You – you drowned?"

Jack winced slightly at the tone in her voice and stayed silent. Great. Just great. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. **Thank you, Manny.**

Bunny was the next to respond. "No one – I don't think anyone has heard of a spirit who died to become immortal. What you did, mate – you were braver than any of us could ever be."

Jack shifted uncomfortably, then hurriedly started speaking just as Merida opened her mouth. There was no way he would accept any of this sympathy from Merida. "Guys, it's okay. I don't mind that I died saving Pippa. Hell, I'd do it again! It couldn't be helped. I could have just let her die, but I didn't. I would rather it was me than her."

Merida closed her mouth and silence prepared to greet the eight of them again, had it not been for the fact that Jack kept tapping his staff and shuffling his feet, refusing to let there be no noise in the air. No one noticed. They were all thinking about how Jack refused to have anything to do with water unless it was frozen. And he had every right, they realised. After all, who would be comfortable with water after drowning?

"Uh, guys?" Jack said, breaking them out of their trance. "I don't think that this memory is over, we're not going anywhere."

Everyone immediately turned back to the memory. Rapunzel gasped lightly as Jack's chocolate-brown hair turned white and his skin turned to a familiar deathly pale colour as his body began to float upwards.

_He didn't know where he was. Everything was dark and cold, and he didn't like it. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't have any memories of who he was or what he was doing in this strange place. Whatever was going on, it scared him. All he wanted to do was escape. **Where am I? Who am I? What's going on?**_

_How much time had passed since he had been here? Was it a day, a week, a year? Had he only been in this strange place for two minutes? He didn't know. All he knew was that time had passed and he was still trapped._

_He forced his eyes open, unable to understand what was happening. There was something strange above him – something that was a blueish-white. And it was getting closer. He didn't know if this was good or bad._

_When he came into contact with the thing, it broke apart, falling off of his body as he went right through it. He started to take deep breaths – had he done this before, had he breathed when he was surrounded by the dark and cold? – drinking in how good it felt. He realised his world was no longer dark – there was a bright light hanging in the sky, making the darkness run away. He felt his fear began to leave with it. As he stared at the moon, a voice came into his head._

"_Your name is Jack Frost."_

_Jack Frost. It had a nice ring to it. At least he now had a name._

_Jack felt himself being slowly lowered to the ground, and for a moment he was worried that he would be trapped again, but no, his feet came in contact with the ice – how he knew it was ice, he didn't know – and made it freeze over, making it look like it had never been disturbed._

_Now feeling safe, Jack looked at himself – he wore a white shirt, brown pants and a brown vest and cloak, and when he looked at the ice he could see his white hair and blue eyes, as well as how pale his skin was._

_Jack looked at the moon again, feeling somewhat confused but grateful that he was no longer trapped. He was free – he was safe._

_Jack took a shaky step forward, slipping a little but quickly regaining his balance as he let out a small laugh. He was still observing the world around him when his foot came in contact with something hard – something that wasn't ice. When he looked down he saw a wooden staff lying by his feet. When he tapped it with his toe, it frosted slightly. Curious, Jack bent down and picked it up, but flinched away as it glowed a brighter blue. When he looked again, he saw a frost pattern spreading over the ice, starting from the bottom of the staff. Jack's eyes widened in wonder as he examined the piece of wood. Getting up, he tapped a nearby tree with the curled end of the staff. Immediately frost began to form around it, and Jack reached out and touched it. Yes, it was definitely real._

_He smiled slightly and tapped another tree, gaining the same effect. Now getting excited, he raced around the lake, dragging the staff along with him and creating more icy patterns. He slipped a couple of times but didn't care, and only continued with what he was doing as he let out joyful laughs. He gasped slightly when he was suddenly thrown up in the air and held there, as he looked at his work. It looked pretty – Jack wouldn't deny that fact. Another smile tugged at his lips when he felt the wind stop blowing, dropping him onto multiple tree branches until he finally caught one. Somehow, he managed to laugh. Then he saw something in the distance, and sat up to get a better look at it, before finally deciding to fly over there._

The other guardians had all smiled upon seeing the winter spirit so excited. There wasn't really any sign or hint of wanting to cause mischief, just pure, childish joy at the simplest of things. But their eyes all widened as they watched him looking at the village. Tooth let out a small gasp "Oh no..."

_Jack landed – or rather fell – clumsily just outside the village but he simply got back up and brushed off some snow before leaping excitedly into the village, greeting people here and there. They only ignored him, which Jack thought was rather rude. They also seemed to keep close to the fire, which made no sense. Were they cold? No, they couldn't be, he wasn't cold! Or was he just better at putting up with the cold than them?_

_A dog ran past, with a child chasing it. Jack bent down to talk to him. "Oh, hey ,excuse me, can you tell me where I am-" The boy didn't only not stop, but ran right through him, as if he didn't exist. Jack gasped and immediately stood up straight, his chest heaving. He looked back at the boy, who didn't seem affected. No, that hadn't happened, it was impossible. It couldn't have happened. It couldn't-_

_A second person passed through him, and then a third. "Hello?" Jack called, but his only response was another person walk through him, which was beginning to scare him. It didn't make any sense, he was solid! Why had they walked right through him as if he was nothing more than air? Was he a ghost? No, he couldn't be, because ghosts couldn't pick things up, and he had picked up the staff that he still held now._

_Jack didn't want to be near people any more, for fear of them walking through him. So instead he left, taking the occasional glance back at the village, hoping to have seen it disappeared, so that he could say it was just wild imagination. But it never did. It pained him to know that no one could see him, hear him, touch him, talk to him. He didn't know if there were others like him, others who he could see, who could see him. If so, he needed to find them. He couldn't spend all his life alone. But something told him he would be like this for a long, long time, much longer than he expected. So, upon arriving at the lake, he climbed a tree and did the only thing an invisible boy could do in this situation._

_He curled up and cried._

For a second, there was silence. No one had ever seen Jack cry. Ever. Sure, they had seen the shaking movements when Jack's father had died, but his face had been buried in pillows then. And I that moment, everyone decided that they never wanted to see Jack cry every again. Then Rapunzel turned to Jack and hugged him for about the third time that day at the least. Hiccup remained expressionless while Merida didn't know what to think. She wondered how long it was before Jack figured out why no one could see him. Did he hear it from another spirit, or did the guardians tell him? If so, then why was he left alone for 300 years? Did he figure it out himself? But how could he do that without at least seeing another spirit? She was so confused. Had he really put up with that for 300 years? How did he still have sanity? And her main question was, why had no one helped him?

Merida, of course had an answer to that question, but desperately wanted it to be wrong. She didn't want the reason to be because no one cared enough to help him, and only acknowledged him to tell him off. Most likely, he was a troublemaker because he wanted attention. Merida could only hope that there was a different answer, that maybe the guardians didn't know, that maybe Jack hadn't wanted their help. But she knew that her first answer was correct, as much as she didn't want it to be.

Great, now she was thinking too hard. Merida silently scolded herself for it and tried to ignore the voice in her head that told her that no one was there for Jack when he thought too hard. Still, all pride aside, she walked up to Jack and silently joined in the hug.

Things would have to change in this family.

**Well... it's done. Jack's death and rebirth has happened. Now we can move onto immortal memories! Hopefully these should be easier to get ideas from. If not, then I'm in trouble.**

**Ideas for immortal memories now open!**

**So, yeah, please leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry that this took so long to update! I was idea-less for this fanfic for a long time! And I also had a few other ideas for different fanfics nipping away at my mind. Still considering if I should try to get rid of them or upload them.**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. And no, I never will**

It took a while for Jack to break out of his sister's grasp. He had welcomed it for a few moments, then he had grown uncomfortable and had started to try and gently pull out of their grip. When Merida finally noticed his discomfort, she had pulled away, taking Rapunzel with her and letting Jack heave a sigh of relief. Still no one spoke, and the silence began to get on Jack's nerve. He had never been more grateful when a new memory started up.

_Jack opened one eye as he looked down at his lake from the tree he had been sleeping on. It had been a week since that day he had risen from the ice. A week since he had discovered no one could see him. A week since the moon had last spoken._

_That was what annoyed Jack the most. He had asked the moon countless times to tell him what was going on, and had never once got a reply. He just didn't understand, the moon told him his name, so why couldn't he answer his questions now? Was his own creator ignoring him? Because it sure was starting to look like that._

_Jack noticed a group of children as well as three adults gathering at the side of his lake. He had learnt some of their names about three days ago, when some people were talking while travelling through the forest. One of the girls was called Pippa, another was Emma, there was a teen called Will and the three adults were called Harry, Sam and Brandon._

Tooth gasped slightly as she recognised the three who had bullied Jack during his life and had been humiliated in front of the whole village. She did not want to think about why they were even there in the first place. Yet she said nothing.

Bunny, however, wasn't one for keeping his mouth shut.

"What were they doing there?" He growled, ears pushed against his head. He had only seen memories of those three and he already hated them. "Hadn't they done enough to you already?"

Jack only shot him a glare. "Just watch the memory, kangaroo."

_Pippa sniffed and clung to Will, tears falling down her cheeks. Whatever had happened had clearly upset her. "Will, I miss him."_

_Jack frowned slightly and leapt down off of the branch, slowly making his way towards them. **Miss who? Did someone leave and go somewhere else.** He barely even knew this kid, but he already knew he didn't like seeing her upset. He didn't like seeing any of them upset, and he wished there was a way he could help._

"_I know." Will said soothingly. "We all miss him. And we will never forget him. But he didn't die for nothing. Jackson knew what he was doing, and he wanted you safe. It was his own decision. Do you really think he would want you to think it was all your fault?"_

"_But it is all my fault!" Pippa wailed. "I should have just gotten off of the ice myself, I shouldn't have asked him to take me ice skating that day. I should have been the one who died. Now Jack's dead, and it's all my fault!"_

_Jack flinched, not at all liking the words coming from the small girl's mouth. He didn't know this 'Jackson' but he was sure that he wouldn't be happy about this. So Jack walked over to them, even though he knew that they could not hear him, it didn't stop him from wanting to try and help. "Hey, don't be like that. I'm sure Jackson would be much happier if you smiled."_

_Will sighed and bent down, touching Pippa's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Pippa, stop. It's not your fault, and you know it. Jackson-"_

"_Stop calling him that!" Pippa screeched, even more tears streaming down her face and completely ignoring the fact that Emma was clinging to her, trying to offer comfort. "His name is Jack! Not Jackson, Jack!"_

_Will sighed, then tried again. "Pippa, I know that it must be hard losing your brother like this, but think about it. Would Jack want you to be sad and upset all the time, or would he want you to be happy and move on?" Pippa sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Be happy." She mumbled. Will smiled as snowflakes began to fall around them. "There, you see? Even the snow doesn't like seeing you upset. Come on, let's go back."_

_Will took her firmly by the hand and led her away, holding Emma close to him as the other children followed. Soon, only three figures were left, and Jack was curious as to what three adults could possibly want with his lake._

_Harry sank to his knees, as if they were unable to support him any longer. Sam and Brandon sat beside him, and each put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry..."_

"_I shouldn't have done it." Harry said suddenly, cutting them off. The other two looked at each other in surprise before looking back at their old friend, waiting for him to speak again. "I should never have bullied him like that."_

_Jack looked confused. Okay, so this person was obviously someone who bullied Jackson – he couldn't bring himself to call the boy Jack – before he died, but why did it matter that much now that he was dead? Wouldn't he be glad that the boy was gone?_

_Even Sam and Brandon looked confused. "Harry, you're not making any sense-"_

"_Don't you get it?" Harry screamed, tears suddenly streaming down his face. "I made Jack's life hell for God knows how many years and he saved my life! I got jealous of him learning how to read and write simply because I didn't like him and I thought I should be better than him at everything! When his father died I heard the wolves, I just didn't know what was going on. I ran like a coward when I should have gone to investigate! And – and on Pippa's birthday I saw them ice skating. I remember thinking that the ice was probably too thin but I didn't bother to warn them. Instead I just walked off! I could have done something. Jack was innocent, he died for no reason. And – and now I'll never get to apologise for everything I've done! I'll never get to make it up to him, never get to right my wrongs. All because I couldn't be bothered with him after that spelling incident. It isn't fair!"_

_Jack flinched at this sudden outburst. He didn't expect it from any one, most certainly not an adult. And he never wanted to hear any of it ever again. He so badly wanted to do something, to comfort the older boy in some way, but there was nothing he could do. He was invisible, after all. Still, Jack stood behind them anyway, hoping that something would happen that would cheer the other up._

"_Harry, listen to me." Sam said firmly. "We all regret what we did to Jack. But nothing could have been done, even if we wanted to help. How were you supposed to know that they were attacking Jack's father? And even if you did, it wouldn't have mattered. He wouldn't have made it anyway. And Jack might not have listened to you about the ice. You know what he was like. You need to let it go. Besides, Jack probably forgave you long ago. He wasn't the type of person to hold grudges."_

_Harry stared at the ground for a moment longer before rising to his feet. "You're right." He muttered. "Come on guys, lets go. At the very least we need to go and let the Overland's know that we're sorry about Jack's death. And we should also go apologise to Pippa, too."_

_Jack didn't have time to get out of the way as the three turned and passed right through him. He let out a gasp as his eyes widened and his hand flew up to his chest, a small tingling remaining for a few more seconds before it faded. That was the second time he had been walked through, and it would probably happen a million more times. But it still hurt to have a reminder that he was invisible._

_Jack felt the tears prick his eyes but he blinked them back angrily. He hadn't cried since that first night. Oh, he had screamed at the moon furiously until his throat ached alright, but he hadn't cried. He refused to cry. Crying would only make it worse._

_Jack wandered over to the village, stopping to observe the group of children from earlier just staring blankly at the snow. Jack followed their gazes and instantly got an idea. Bending down, he scooped up some snow and made it into a perfect snowball. Jack looked at it for a moment, accidentally breathing on it and finding, to his surprise, that it seemed to get a small amount of frost on it and glow slightly. Shrugging, he threw it at one of the teenagers, who blinked a few times before a small blue glitter seemed to appear on their eyes. He looked up excited, forming another snowball and throwing it at another teenager._

_Before Jack knew it there was a huge snowball fight going on between everyone. Everyone but one girl, whom Jack recognised as Pippa. He smiled slightly before repeating his earlier trick and throwing the snowball at Pippa, wondering where he got his good aim from. That thought quickly disappeared when he saw a small smile grace Pippa's lips as she leapt up and joined in the snowball fight, throwing snowball after snowball. Jack laughed and quickly joined in himself, even if they couldn't see him, he didn't see why he shouldn't be included as well._

_Jack had so much fun that day. After a week of lying and sleeping on that tree branch while screaming up at the moon, it felt good to know that he could let loose with something as simple as a snowball fight. It also helped to distract him from how upset and angry he was. **Who knew that fun is a fantastic distraction?**_

_For the first time in a week, Jack's smile lasted all day until he fell asleep._

No one knew exactly what to make of this memory, they were all unsure if it was good or bad. True, it was good that Jack had finally let go and had some fun for the first time in a week, but it also sad to know that Jack had to see everyone he knew upset about his death, without even knowing he was the reason they were upset. It also hurt to know that when Jack had fun for the first time, his first view of it was a distraction.

Jack, unable to bear the silence any longer, spoke up. "Are you guys okay? You haven't exactly said much since the last memory and it's kinda freaking me out."

For a moment, no one spoke, and Jack once again began to shuffle his feet and tap his staff, only this time Merida noticed. She couldn't help but wonder why Jack was always making some kind of noise, at first she had put it down to restlessness, but she was beginning to doubt that very much. But she knew that asking him would get her nowhere, since he probably wouldn't tell the truth. "Well, there hasn't exactly been much to say." Was her reply instead.

Jack smirked, which made Merida relax a little. "I don't believe that for a second. You always have something to say, no matter the situation."

Merida only laughed and nudged him playfully. "Whatever, Frost. You always have some kind of answer yourself." Her smile increased as Jack laughed. His laugh and his smile could float around the room and instantly lighten any mood, a talent that Merida wished she had. Although she would never let on, she loved the play-fights and mock-arguments she had with him, just like how Jack loved teasing and annoying Bunny. Still giggling, Merida turned back to the memories.

If she had looked closer, Merida just might have been able to see that the smile Jack wore was fake.

**Again, sorry it took so long! And sorry it's so short!**

**Yes, I decided I wanted Harry to feel guilty. And I'm not even ashamed.**

**I'll probably have Jack meeting some of the guardians soon. And within those meetings, Jack will figure out why no one can see him. Also, be prepared for Merida feeling guilty! Mwahahahaha!**

**You know what I love writing? Merida feeling guilty, Bunny feeling guilty, and Merida getting angry at the guardians. So guess what memories I will look forward to writing. However, before we get to some of the fun stuff (like the Blizzard of 68) Jack will need to have some memories of feeling lost, lonely and unwanted, not fully understanding the world around him, as well as some joyful moments. Because Jack Frost wouldn't be Jack Frost if he didn't have some fun memories. And because I need to restrain myself from letting out the dark, creepy part of my mind that loves seeing characters suffer. Maybe in another fanfic, but not this one.**

**Ugh, the N key apparently hates me. I'll just go to press it and it won't respond, so I'll go and press it again and it still won't respond, and it will take a few tries. And since I type kind-of fast, I'll just have a random word in the sentence like ad instead of and, or wo't instead of won't, or respod instead of respond.**

**As always, please review! I feel more encouraged to write when you review! And ideas are welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I have returned! With another chapter! And an idea!**

**Just so you know, I'm probably not gonna mention Pippa and her family often, because it's too much hard work to think of things that go one through her family history (either that or I'm just too lazy). So they're most likely just gonna get mentioned here-and-there, but not actually gonna get much attention.**

**And now, it is time to start Operation: Understand Invisibility! Yes, Jack's brief meetings with the guardians are finally beginning!**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything, okay? Please don't remind me! *cries***

"I wonder what we'll see next!" Rapunzel said, sounding slightly too cheerful. Jack sighed, wondering if his guess was correct. He didn't exactly do much that winter, other than start a few snowball fights in the village and practice riding on the wind. When the memory started, Jack knew at once that he was right.

_Jack peeked in through a window at the village, immediately catching sight of a whole family sat together. The father seemed to be attempting to put up a tree in the corner of the room, while the children played on the floor, talking excitedly about 'Santa Clause' coming to visit them. Curious, and with nothing else to do, Jack stayed to watch them. He smiled slightly as the kids began to decorate the tree, but eventually he got bored when everyone went to bed, and instead took to wandering around, knowing that everyone was asleep._

_Sighing, Jack swung his staff, wishing that it would snow, only to pause in surprise as the flakes began to float lightly down from the sky. Puzzled, Jack swung his staff again, silently asking for the snow to stop. It did._

_Jack's face lit up with excitement and he let out a laugh as he made it snow once again. He hadn't known he could do that. He had known that he could frost things over and could fly, but that was about it. Being able to make it snow brought forth new ideas for what he could do, in hopes that one day he would meet someone who didn't walk right through him._

_His laughter stopped as he heard bells. Looking up, his eyes were filled with wonder as he saw a sleigh being pulled by reindeer land on the roof of a house. The man inside the sleigh got out, holding a bag of some kind, and somehow slid down the chimney._

_Jack took this as an opportunity to investigate what was going on, and flew up to the roof, inspecting the sleigh and reindeer but being careful not to touch anything. He had no idea why this strange man would land on someone's roof, but brushed it aside. Still, he dropped down and peeked though the window, just in case the stranger was a thief._

_Instead, he saw the man put the bag down and pull something out, preparing to place it under the tree that the family had put up. Until another person came down the stairs, yawning, and passed right through the stranger with a present to go into the kitchen. **So there are others like me.**_

_The man chuckled. "As unpleasant as that is, it is a good thing she does not believe in me. I don't think she would be too pleased with a stranger breaking into her house." He said, obviously thinking out loud. When the woman went back upstairs, he stepped to the side, out of her way, then proceeded to put down all the presents the minute she was gone. Soon finishing his task, the man disappeared back up the chimney._

_Puzzled, Jack flew away to a tree next to his lake to thinkabout everything he had seen and heard. **What did he mean by not believe?**_

_Jack suddenly yelped as the tree he was in began to shake, making him fall off of the branch in the process. He had felt something crash into the precious piece of nature but had no idea what it was, and only discovered the source when he got up and looked around. It was the sleigh he had seen earlier, and the man had started to curse in a different language as he got up and inspected his mode of transport. Jack took the opportunity to take a peek at the globe on the sleigh and have a good look at the huge sack of presents until a voice made him jump. Not wanting to look at the strange, intimidating man, Jack flew off in panic. It was only later, when he was panting heavily on a tree, that he realised something. **He could see me!**_

_Jack suddenly wanted to smack himself for being so stupid. Someone could see him, and all he had done was fly off. That could have been the only person who could see him, and he had destroyed that chance of getting to know them. That person might have been able to help him, tell him what was going on, maybe help him to find others who were like him, or help him to get someone else to see him. Other questions also buzzed in his mind. If the stranger could see him, could he also hear him? Touch him? Would he pass right through him, the same as everyone else? **Nice going, Jack, you've just lost the only source of information you had. Great job.**_

_Jack fell asleep, still wondering and asking questions that he knew no one would answer._

North turned to Jack. "So you were the one I found sneaking around my sleigh!" He exclaimed. Jack only rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but who can blame me? I was just curious as to what you were doing."

_Time sped up again, only slowing down when the sun began to rise. Jack was sleeping peacefully, and for a second you could see how calm and vulnerable Jack could look. But he woke up a second later, icy blue eyes flickering open and squinting in the light. Jack groaned and turned over, trying to go back to sleep, but quickly realised it wouldn't work, and instead got up, asking the wind to take him to the village._

_The first thing he did was go to the house he had seen the stranger from last night enter, watching as the children dragged their parents out of bed, telling them in excited voices to get up, it was Christmas. They soon took to running down stairs, squealing in delight at the presents and handing them to each other, telling them excitedly that Santa Clause had come. Jack vaguely remembered the man putting the presents down. **Was he Santa Clause?**_

"Exactly how long did you go around calling him that?" Bunny laughed. Jack blushed slightly and put his hood up. "S-shut up! I'd only been alive for a few weeks, maybe a month, so what was I supposed to call him? Most of the things I knew I had learnt by simply observing others!"

_Jack spent most of the morning wandering around and watching children open their presents, waiting patiently for them to come outside and play in the snow that he had made during the night. They soon did, and as soon as a group of children were together, he immediately threw a snowball at one of them, laughing as the kid reacted by throwing a snowball right in one of his friend's faces. He, of course, joined in, even though he didn't feel the need for a distraction right then, he still wanted to join in the fun._

_As the children were slowly called in by their parents, Jack sighed and realised the fun was over, but jolted in shock as a child passed through him. That had been happening way too often, and he didn't like it. Tears pricked his eyes, but he just shoved them back again. **Why do they have to pass through me like that? How many more times does that have to happen before it finally stops?**_

_Sighing in defeat, Jack began to slowly walk around the village again, being careful to avoid others and eventually coming to a stop in front of a house, looking through a window to watch the family. They were all sat at a table, laughing and enjoying each other's company as they ate. Jack's insides seemed to warm up just watching them, but turned to ice as he remembered the way the children passed through him. He hated that cold feeling, it only reminded him that he was alone. **What is it like to be held by another. Does their touch burn, or does it make me feel pleasantly warm inside? **Another thought struck him like lightning, and he didn't like it. **Will I ever have a family?**_

_Sighing and now making it snow again, Jack flew off to his favourite tree by his lake and curled up on it, trying not to cry._

Everything was silent for a second, then North suddenly pulled Jack into a hug, making the younger spirit yelp in surprise. "You do have a family now, Jack. Don't you ever forget that."

Jack squirmed uncomfortably in North's hold, trying to pull away. "I know North, I know. That was 300 years ago, I don't think that any more, honest. You all seem to be forgetting already that these are just memories."

Merida remained silent, guilt tearing through her body. How many times had she complained to Jack about her family? How many times had she sat there and whined about how unfair her family had been to her, and made Jack sit there and listen with a smile on his face, while inside he was probably screaming at her. All she had done was complain about her family, when for 300 years it was all Jack had wanted, to feel the touch of another, to feel the warmth that a family could bring by a simple hug. How could she have been so blind as to not appreciate everything she had, without a single thought to anyone else, without considering that maybe one of her friends was still hurting inside, longing for everything she had yet didn't seem to want. And he still never let out a single complaint. For 300 years Jack had thought he would never get a family, never receive the warmth he felt from one. She had all that, but just didn't care. Took it for granted, like she did with everything. But had he ever complained about it? No, he hadn't. Because Jack was strong – stronger than any of them could ever be, and he hid his true feelings to comfort one of his friends, even when they didn't deserve it. She needed to make this up to him. Badly.

**And there you have it! Merida feeling guilty! I felt like it was best to have Merida feeling bad because I can imagine her complaining to Jack about her family, and then feeling guilty when she realises that Jack didn't have that.**

**THE SHORTNESS! IT BURNS!**

**So, what do you guys want to see next? Do you want a meeting with Bunny, one of Tooth's fairies, Sandy, or do you have a different idea of what you want to see before he meets any of those? If you do, please let me know.**

**WAIT! Before you go, do you see that little box underneath? Yeah, that box. Please type a review in there! It makes me feel better to know that people have actually taken time out of their busy lives to write a little something about this story, and it also helps me to feel more inspired to write the next chapter, since I like to update as often as possible. So, yeah, reviews are very much welcome!**


	9. Chapter 9

**SORRY YOU HAD TO WAIT SO LONG! It took a while for my mind to create an idea for the next chapter but it finally kicked itself into gear and came up with this.**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. Although I would like to**

Merida turned to Jack, opening her mouth to apologise, but closed her mouth when Jack smirked at her. "Finally fallen out of your depressive state, Katniss?" He joked. Merida only groaned in response, wishing she had never told Jack about the Hunger Games. It was the second most common nickname he had invented for her, next to 'Hot Head'. His excuses for calling her Katniss were A. She could shoot really well with a bow and arrow and B. She was the spirit of summer, had a bad temper and could shoot fire arrows, so she was technically a girl on fire. She usually responded to these excuses by trying to shoot said fire arrows at his head, only to have him run off yelling, 'my point has been proven'.

Before she could throw him a sarcastic remark back, the next memory started.

_Jack wandered around the village, carefully avoiding being walked through, and created ice under random people's feet, laughing slightly. He had recently discovered that he could not only create frost and snow, but ice as well, and used this new found talent to pass the time, looking for a way to make himself laugh._

_Out of the corner of his eye he saw little Emma, Pippa's friend, playing with Will by rolling down the hill. A light, playful smirk tugged at his lips and there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. Whistling innocently, he walked up to them and suddenly began to create ice underneath Emma. The girl screamed in slight fear, but they soon turned to shouts of joy and laughter as she went sliding through the village. Jack's smile increased, but he soon lost control of his ice path and the smaller girl went flying. Jack winced, wondering if he should have waited until he got more control over his ice powers. Worriedly, Jack stood next to Emma, who was now lying on the floor, just as Will came dashing over._

"_Emma!" He yelled, running to her and helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"_

_Emma coughed a bit before she spat something out into her hand. Something small and white. "Cool!" She gasped. "A tooth!" Will sighed in relief, seemingly glad that a missing tooth was the only damage caused, and knelt down to look at her in the eye. "This is your first tooth that has come out. Do you know what happens when you lose a tooth?" He asked. Emma shook her head. "Well, if you put a tooth under your pillow, then when you go to sleep the Tooth Fairy will come and take your tooth. In return, she leaves some money under your pillow."_

_Emma's eyes widened in excitement. "What does the Tooth Fairy look like?" She asked excitedly. Will only laughed. "No one knows, Emma. Everyone's always been asleep when she comes." Emma's eyes lit up even more. "We can be the first to see her!" She yelled, tugging at Will's hand. "We can stay up tonight and see the Tooth Fairy! Can we Will, please?" Will laughed again. "We can try, although we might fall asleep before she comes. But if we do, we can always try again another time."_

_Emma squealed excitedly and ran off, probably to find Pippa and tell her all about what she had heard. Will smiled sadly when Jake, one of his friends, walked up to him. "You have a huge soft spot for Emma." He commented. Will sighed, the smile leaving his face. "I just worry about her. Ever since what happened to Jack, I can't help but feel scared when she goes running off like that. She can be reckless at times, even though she's so shy. She reminds me of Jack in a way. And then I start picturing her being chased by wolves or drowning in that lake..." He trailed off, letting Jake pull him into a hug. "You're a great big brother, Will. Nothing will happen to Emma, not under your watch." He said, pulling away quickly and patting him on the back. Only to get a face full of snow as Will started laughing. Jake smirked slightly. "William Bennett, you'll pay for that!" He yelled, before throwing a snowball straight back at his friend. Jack smiled, satisfied with the fact that neither of them were upset any more before flying off back to his lake, questions filling his mind. Who was the Tooth Fairy? Was she like Santa? Could she see him? He hoped so. Maybe he could get some help this time, instead of flying off._

_As soon as dark began to fall Jack flew back to the village, stopping just outside of Emma's window. The girl was tucked up in bed, excitedly chatting to Will, who looked like he was going to drop to the floor and sleep at any moment. To keep himself awake, the older boy chose to speak to his sister. "The Sandman is the person who puts you to sleep and sends you dreams." He told her. "That's why when you wake up, there are little grains of sand in your eyes. It's proof that the Sandman came." Jack listened, puzzled. There were so many stories about people, Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and now the Sandman. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see these people._

_Soon Emma had fallen asleep, and Will had followed shortly after. Jack only sat there, waiting patiently, surprised that he did not feel tired in the slightest. Although he quickly put it down to being invisible._

_A few minutes later, Jack heard a noise and looked around, only to see a tiny fairy flying out of the window. Jack smiled, then froze in surprise as the fairy stopped and began to make small squeaking noises. In her hands she clutched a tooth. For some reason though, Jack couldn't bring himself to see the tiny creature as the Tooth Fairy. Which is what many children would assume, of course, but it just didn't click with him._

"_You're not the Tooth Fairy, are you?" He asked, although it was slightly more of a statement than a question. It turned out he was right, since the tiny fairy shook her head. "So, are you some kind of helper of the Tooth Fairy's? Like Santa's elves?" The fairy looked slightly shocked at the mention of Santa's elves, but nodded her head cautiously. Jack smiled again, slightly surprised when the fairy squeaked again and darted towards his mouth, squealing about something. Laughing and unknowingly nearly making the fairy faint, he pointed to the sky. "I won't keep you any longer, you can go now." He said. The fairy nodded and flew off._

"I remember that day." Tooth said. "Baby Tooth came back with Emma's tooth and started chirping on about some boy she had met with snow-white teeth." Merida suddenly turned to her. "And you didn't even think to go and find him?" She snapped, but calmed down slightly at Jack's panicked 'Merida!' and instead just turned away. Jack shot Tooth an apologetic look before turning back to the memory.

_Jack sat at the window for a few more minutes before he saw a golden trail in the sky. Curious, he flew up to it, only to gasp in delight when he saw the golden trail was made of sand. "I bet this is from the Sandman!" He exclaimed, excitement suddenly filling him. Unable to help himself, Jack stretched out a hand and touched it, gasps and squeals of joy filling the air as it turned into a dog, which leapt around him playfully before running off, disappearing._

"And you were telling me earlier about how males don't scream and shriek, yet you knew full well that when you first encountered Sandy's dreamsand you squealed like a girl." Merida said, smirking as a blush rose to Jack's cheeks. He pulled his hood over his face in an attempt to hide it. "S-shut up! I was excited that night and I didn't know any better, alright?"

_Jack suddenly seemed to realise that it wouldn't stay night forever and began to follow the trail of sand, trying to trace it back to it's master. But soon it disappeared completely, leaving a very frustrated Jack hovering over the sea. He groaned in annoyance at losing the trail, but his face soon brightened. **Well, I can always follow it tomorrow night.**_

_Jack smiled and was about to fly back to his lake when the wind stopped blowing, instantly dropping him. Jack panicked, even though he had his staff, he hadn't quite mastered his grip on the wind yet and it sometimes dropped him. It didn't happen very often, it was just unfortunate that at that particular moment in time, he was right over the sea._

_Jack hit the water, pain bursting through his chest for a moment from the contact before fading. He began to panic again, desperately trying to swim to the surface. He had learnt, from watching the humans, that he couldn't breath underwater. If he tried to, he would drown. Instead, he held his breath, but soon Jack remembered when he had been trapped in his lake. It had been so dark, and cold... he was underwater then. He was underwater now. He could be in that same situation all over again. At least until he died._

_Each time Jack tried to reach the surface he only seemed to sink further into his watery grave. More panic swept in as his chest began to hurt, his eyes wide with fear. The air was up there, practically mocking him, so close yet so hard to reach, with the moon just hanging there silently, like always. And he was beginning to get tired. He felt a tug at the back of his mind telling him to let it go and sleep, but he knew that if he did, he could die. Still, it looked like he was going to die anyway, and with each passing second he felt more of an urge to give up the fight._

_Jack could do nothing to stop the sudden rush of water that entered his nose as he finally breathed in, with it his decision that he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. **How strange, yet oddly funny in a dark, twisted way.** Some part of his mind thought. **I was born in the water and I'll die in the water.**_

_Suddenly he felt himself being pulled upwards to the surface by something, and a new surge of hope filled him. That hope exploded into relief when his head appeared above the water. Coughing and gasping, Jack looked down, finally able to see what had saved him from death's cruel grasp. He was lying on a dolphin, which seemed as playful as ever despite the fact that it had saved his life. He felt a sudden rush of gratitude and gently stroked the dolphin's soft, leathery skin, muttering 'thank you' with every stroke. The dolphin replied by clicking playfully, and Jack laughed before floating up in the air slightly – thankful that the wind had a good hold of him this time – to play with the gentle creature. His laughter rang through the air again as more dolphins came to play, leaping through the air and clicking playfully, before finally the group had to swim off. Still smiling, Jack flew back to his favourite tree by his lake and settled down on a branch, looking up at the sky. He tried to ignore the moon – the moon that had only spoken to him once, that had left him alone, that had sat there and watched when he nearly died a few minutes earlier – and instead watched the stars. He liked the stars. Unlike the moon, the stars were small and didn't produce much light, but still twinkled gently, content with what they had, as they sat with their friends. Jack could easily imagine somewhere up there they were playing with one another, gently laughing, taking no notice of the grumpy old moon that insisted on sending out most of the light, instead choosing to take life easy and have fun, setting off only a few small rays of light, knowing that others would see them, and that someone would take the time to appreciate them, instead of always favouring the moon._

_Smiling, Jack let himself fall asleep, surrendering himself to the Sandman._

"Hang on a minute, mate." Bunny said, ignoring Merida's you-don't-deserve-a-say-in-this glare. "You almost drowned for the second time, the minute you were saved you started playing and you fell asleep with a smile on your face even though the moon did nothing to help you." Jack simply shrugged. "I also fell out of the sky on my first night as an immortal and laughed." **And smirked and replied with a sarcastic response whenever someone said something that hurt me.** He mentally added. He wouldn't say this, though, not only would it be revealing weakness to his friends, but it also stood as a threat to his play-fights and mock-arguments with both Merida and Bunny. Who, by the way, were having an intense glaring competition. Sighing and letting out a laugh, Jack shook his head and looked away, a small, content smile gracing his face.

**Oh my life... WHAT IS THIS MONSTROCITY THAT I HAVE WRITTEN? IT MUST BE BURNT AND LEFT TO DIE IN HELL! But if I did that, then I would have to come up with a new chapter idea, which would take forever to write and upload... and I'd rather not get torn apart by angry fans for not updating.**

**Again, I apologise for the shortness! I don't know what's wrong with me lately, with all these short chapters! *cries***

**Honestly, I just couldn't resist putting in the Hunger Games reference (can it even be counted as a reference?). I'm sorry! *runs away and hides***

**Anyway, the reason I had Jack nearly drown (again) and then get saved by dolphins is because I wanted to have a reason for why it was a dolphin that appeared when Jack touched the dreamsand in the film. No doubt they probably just chose a random animal, but I still wanted to have a random reason, even if it was only for the fun of it. So I figured that they could be Jack's favourite animal, not only because they are playful and gentle, but because they also saved his life. Dolphins are gentle and playful, but they have (on numerous occasions) saved a human's life (trust me, it's an episode on An Animal Saved My Life). This idea has been in my head for a while, but I decided 'not for this fanfic' and tossed it into my mental recycling bin. Then I was writing the part where the dreamsand trail disappeared, and the idea sprang back up, so I just decided that I had to use it. **

**And then you just get my sister, who was showing off two years ago because she's touched a dolphin before and I haven't!**

**Does anyone even read these? Oh well, if they don't, they don't. I'll still continue to type them anyway.**

**You guys know the drill. Ideas are welcome, please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**And we have an update! It's a miracle!**

**I currently have nothing to say about this chapter, so lets just get on with it**

**Key:**

_Memories/Manny talking_

Normal

**Jack's thoughts**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story. I wish I did, but I don't**

Jack eventually pushed Merida and Bunny away from each other. He had no idea why they were even glaring at each other in the first place and honestly, he didn't want to know either. Manny apparently decided to save him by throwing them quickly into another memory before a fight broke out.

_A lot of time had obviously passed, because it was spring in Burgess. Jack was lying on a tree, unconsciously causing snow to fall. He wasn't even aware he was doing it, since he was lost in thought. Today was Easter, and he was determined to find the Easter Bunny. He had heard kids talking about a rabbit who went around the world hiding eggs for Easter Egg Hunts. All in one day. Jack had to admit, that was pretty impressive. After all, unlike Santa, who had a magical sleigh, and the Tooth Fairy, who had little helpers, the Easter Bunny was all on his own, no help from anyone or anything. Well, at least that's what he had heard. Jack couldn't tell, no one had actually met the Easter Bunny and asked him. Jack was determined to be the first._

_It wasn't just because he was childlike and had a strange fascination with seeing old legends with his very own eyes, and it wasn't because he wanted to boast to anyone that he had seen the Easter Bunny. He had questions, and he wanted answers. He had flown away from Santa, the Tooth Fairy's helpers couldn't talk to him, and he hadn't gotten a chance to meet the Sandman yet. If the Easter Bunny was anything like the other two he had met, then he could answer all of Jack's questions._

_Then maybe, just maybe, he would finally have a friend._

_So that's why he was lying on his favourite tree branch on Easter, waiting for the sun to rise so that he could finally get some answers. Even though there was a little voice in the back of his mind that was telling him he shouldn't be here, that he should go somewhere colder and spread some snow there, he ignored it and stubbornly stayed exactly where he was. And he wouldn't leave until the day was over._

"Mind telling us exactly why you were still in Burgess during spring?" Hiccup asked, turning to Jack, who blushed slightly. "I didn't know much about the other seasons, and I wanted answers, can you really blame me?" Jack rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly. "I learnt pretty quickly, though. That year wasn't pleasant."

_Soon the kids all came out, looking excited for the Easter Egg Hunt, while the adults looked confused about the snow still falling, and the white blanket covering the ground. Although the children's excitement turned to disappointment when they couldn't find any eggs. And they started to complain about the snow, too, saying that it was too cold for spring, and that there shouldn't be snow on the ground. Jack was confused. The temperature always dropped automatically wherever he was, and it was way to warm for him. But the humans wanted it to be warmer? They must be really bad at handling the cold._

_Jack felt slightly disappointed when everyone turned and left, even more so when he realised that it was all for nothing, since he hadn't achieved his goal._

_At least, that's how he felt until he saw something dart around in the bushes. Jack's eyes widened as he began to look around, hoping that whatever was there wouldn't hurt him, if it could even see him. But his slight panic turned to excitement when the figure stepped out of the bushes. It was taller than a normal bunny, but what else could it be? The ears were too big a give-away. Jack felt even more excited when he realised he'd done it. He'd found the Easter Bunny. **And he looks so much cooler than I imagined!**_

Bunny's ears flattened and he looked away. Jack hadn't meant any harm, he only wanted answers. And it was his first Easter as a spirit. Knowing that Jack's first thought of him was so positive made him feel guilty, a feeling he did not like. At all.

_His excitement and happiness died down, however, when he saw how angry the rabbit looked. To be honest, it scared him a little. But it didn't matter, Jack realised, since another thought crossed his mind. **He's looking at me, not through me!**_

"_Oi! What do you think you're doing, making it snow on Easter like this?" The Easter Bunny snapped, making Jack's smile fade slightly. "You can see me?" He breathed, staring at the legend._

"_Of course I can see ya." The rabbit snorted. "All spirits can see each other." Jack was confused for a moment. **Spirit?**_

"_What are you doing this for, eh? Why are you messing with my holiday?" The Easter Bunny snapped, making Jack feel slightly afraid, something that only increased as the other walked towards him. "Do you have any idea how many believers you cost me? Do you have any idea how it feels to be invisible to a whole village?" Jack didn't get a chance to reply as the older one snorted again. "No, of course you don't, you're just a troublesome winter spirit that does nothing but cause mischief. You don't care about anyone else, and you don't care that people need the cold to leave, before they start to run out of food and die. Because you're heartless, and you don't care about anything other than yourself."_

_These words hurt, hurt more than Jack could ever imagine. With each insult came a harsh jab to his shoulder, each one harder than the last, until he was certain that it would bruise, until he was eventually shoved harshly to the ground. The Easter Bunny kicked him slightly in the ribs, hurting him more that the kick intended to and leaving him gasping for breath. He didn't understand. He had only come for help, and this complete stranger was telling him all of these mean things, and pushing him around. Didn't he realise how much that hurt? And what was all that about people dying from the cold? People couldn't die from the cold, right?_

_Tears welled up in Jack's eyes as the snow began to fall more heavily than before. But one complaint from the other made Jack stop it. He didn't want to hear this stranger say anything else that would hurt, he couldn't bear the anger that those eyes held. Anger aimed at him._

_Jack took off, flying back to his lake and lying down on his tree branch, which now had leaves covering it, shielding Jack from the sun. Which was good, because it was too warm for Jack's liking. Being in the shade was much cooler, and it gave Jack time to think._

_What had the Easter Bunny meant by spirit? Weren't spirit's dead people that wandered the earth, looking out for people to attack? Still, what if those rumours weren't true? After all, no one could expect the Easter Bunny to be huge, carry strange markings and have to wooden... things attached to his back. And what did he mean by believers? Did he mean people who believed in him? If so, how did people not believing in him stopped them from seeing him?_

_Not believing in him stopped them from seeing him! Jack bolted upright. That was it! That had to be the reason why no one could see him. All he needed to do was make them believe. But still, it was only a theory, and one that Jack wasn't completely sure of. He would need more proof. Maybe something would confirm his theory one day, when he wasn't sure. But he was hoping that he was correct, then this whole invisible problem could be fixed._

_After all, if the Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy and Sandman could do it, then it shouldn't be too hard, right?_

Bunny's ears were practically against his skull. Jack had escorted him out of Merida's sight while the girl was distracted by the memory – just in case she decided to have a little... snack while they were there – and he couldn't help but pay attention to how gentle and careful Jack was when pulling him away. Almost as if the younger boy was afraid to make him feel too cold. Cold like he had been that Easter. Cold like the insults thrown at the boy who would be forever frozen at sixteen that day. Cold and unforgiving. Like the jabs and push and kick he had delivered to the child that didn't deserve them that day. Jack had only come to him for help, he didn't even know much about what was going on, and Bunny had hurt him for no reason. He didn't even want to remember what the reason for the Blizzard of 68 was. He had gone way too far with that, blinded by anger, and crushed the boy's hope. Ironic, really.

Jack either had the ability to see the future or he just knew Merida really well, because the girl almost set all of them on fire, although her target was really Bunny. For a number of reasons, such as hitting Jack, saying such cruel things, not letting him explain himself, and losing his temper over a few eggs, to name a few. So no, she wasn't happy, and yes, she did want Bunny's head on display on her bedroom wall.

Eventually it was, surprisingly, Jack who calmed her down, by grabbing her wrist firmly and forcing her to look at him. "Merida. That Easter had long since been and gone. I'm over it, you need to let it go, okay?"

Merida remained silent for a few minutes, letting the anger that had quickly replaced her guilt fade away. Neither she or Bunny could believe how calm and relaxed Jack was about it, and they could only wonder how he could be so forgiving. After a few moments she nodded and turned back to the memory.

_A small amount of time had passed and it was a few weeks after the Easter incident. Jack lay on a tree, breathing heavily, his cheeks flushed and sweat pouring down his face. It was so hot, how could the humans bear this heat? And why did they keep complaining about how cold it was? He felt like he was melting! And he barely had the energy to lift his staff, let alone make it snow. He wasn't even sure if he could ask the wind to take him somewhere else, in case he passed out on the way and the wind dropped him, or his staff slipped from his grasp. Seeing no other choice, Jack stayed exactly where he was, hoping that it would pass._

_That idea was scrunched up, tossed out of the window into a bin and set on fire after three days. The poor child began to hallucinate, he was covered in a thin layer of sweat, he was shaking and he was vomiting every now and again. He felt so tired, yet no matter how hard Jack tried he could not get to sleep. His eyes were red, most likely from his fever, and unfocused, and finally he could take it no more. He was drawing the line right here._

"_Wind." Jack coughed, his voice hoarse from lack of use. "Can you take me to somewhere cold, please?" The wind obeyed, gently picking up the sick boy and ruffling his hair playfully before carrying the feverish child to Antarctica._

_Jack slipped in and out of consciousness all the way there, and was thankful that he had, somehow, kept hold of his staff, and that the wind had not dropped him. At least, it didn't until he landed in Antarctica, letting him fall face first into a pile of snow. Jack didn't move for a while, then finally let out a soft sigh of relief and rolled over, trying to bury himself in the snow to cool himself off. A part of him was thankful that he wasn't the same as humans, their healing abilities were awful. And that same part of him wondered if they would ever get better._

_After two days spent in Antarctica waiting for his illness to pass, Jack finally felt like he could leave and this time obeyed the voice in his mind that told him to make it snow somewhere, completely avoiding the warm parts of the world and going to the cooler continents, blessing some places with a light, early snowfall, despite the fact it was only Autumn._

_Next year he was definitely going to a colder place when spring came around before he got sick._

**I enjoyed writing this chapter :D**

**So, I guess you guys can guess who Jack meets next, can't you? That's right, it's the Groundhog!**

**Nah, I'm just kidding XD**

**You know what I'm going to say, leave a review, ideas are very much welcome.**


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